HLM -Chapter 1157 Eradicating Mosquitoes

Dragon tipfish (longspine cod) juveniles grow among shallow reef rocks, while adults swim out to the open sea, living at depths of around 400 meters—they are thoroughly marine fish.

It’s well known that Westerners rarely eat whole fish, preferring fillets instead. Dragon tipfish is New Zealand’s most popular fish for fillets and enjoys considerable fame.

Because they live in cold waters and are not very large, their flesh is extremely tender and dense, making them delicious whether pan-fried, stir-fried, deep-fried, or made into fish fillet soup.

However, the Japanese are not fond of this fish. They prefer sashimi, but dragon tipfish is not suitable for raw consumption, as its flesh lacks the high fat content that makes salmon so smooth and tender when eaten raw.

Hearing this, Professor Sandra chuckled and said, “Yes, Wang, you guessed correctly. We’ve completed the freshwater acclimatization of the dragon tipfish—they can now live in lakes.”

Globally, the aquaculture economy is primarily marine-based. New Zealand, with its extensive coastline, is far from lacking in seafood. But marine farming is not easy and can be expensive, so efforts to adapt some seawater fish to freshwater have been ongoing.

Take the dragon tipfish, for example. Although it is New Zealand’s second-largest commercial catch, its production isn’t enormous—around ten thousand tons per year. In recent years, ocean pollution has further limited its yield.

So, being able to farm this fish in freshwater would be a major boon for the public. After all, dragon tipfish is not cheap. Fillets sell for over NZD 20 per kilogram in supermarkets.

Compared to the prices at Sunset Ranch, where some products sell for hundreds of NZD per kilogram, this seems cheap. But New Zealand’s abundant marine resources mean seafood is generally inexpensive. Its geography—long, narrow North and South Islands—ensures that nearly every city is close to the sea, so catches are plentiful.

Wang Bo asked how this was achieved. Changing a marine fish’s lifestyle to freshwater is a huge undertaking, and few species have been successfully adapted so far. Sandra must be proud.

The professor said proudly, “It’s not really that difficult. We used genetic engineering and nanostructure organ modification. In simple terms, we modified their hearts and encoded the changes into their genes.”

“Unfortunately,” he added with some regret, “our technology isn’t perfect. Compared to marine dragon tipfish, these don’t grow very large. It seems the genetic changes limit their size.”

Adult dragon tipfish reach 50–60 cm in length, which isn’t particularly large for marine fish. Genetically modified ones grow at most 40 cm, and most are only 20–30 cm, just as they saw.

Wang Bo still found this impressive. He asked, “Don’t tell me this is the gift you prepared.”

Professor Sandra smiled. “Yes, this is the gift, if you’re willing to accept it.”

Wang Bo exclaimed dramatically, “I’d be thrilled to accept! This is the best Christmas gift I’ve received this year—I’ll bet my life on it!”

Professor Sandra said, “Compared to letting us access freshwater corals up close, this is nothing.”

Thanks to the freshwater corals, Wang Bo thought they deserved a medal—they had contributed immensely to Sunset Town.

After visiting Lincoln University’s aquaculture research facility, the day had grown late. They departed, preparing to receive the freshwater dragon tipfish the next day.

Professor Sandra sent pregnant females and some fry—though not many—because transporting freshwater fish is difficult. Wang Bo didn’t mind; with the lake ecosystem in place, the fish population would expand quickly.

Back in Sunset Town, the weather grew hotter, and mosquitoes became more numerous.

Professor Sandra and Principal Sarlins planned to visit Sunset Town in the next few days. They intended to inspect each candidate site for the new school campus before making a final decision.

Bowen said, “Boss, there are too many mosquitoes and insects here. Should we have a mosquito and pest eradication campaign?”

New Zealand has sixteen mosquito species, twelve of which are endemic, and four are introduced.

The most common mosquito is about 5 mm long. Small as it is, it’s notorious: it bites quickly, frequently, and with high toxicity, leaving slow-healing wounds. It can even transmit malaria and historically wreaked havoc in New Zealand.

During wars between European settlers and the Māori, the latter used mosquitoes strategically, smuggling them into settler camps to harass them.

New Zealand’s pristine environment—rich in grasslands and forests—has its drawbacks. Mosquitoes breed prolifically, especially in the wild. Several hills in Sunset Town have earned the nickname “Mosquito Hill,” and spring and summer visitors are often bitten badly.

Few know much about native New Zealand mosquitoes; most knowledge is hearsay. Of the twelve endemic species, most feed on birds rather than humans.

The three species posing the greatest threat to humans are the striped mosquito, the southern saltmarsh mosquito, and the brown house mosquito. These were the targets Bowen aimed to eliminate.

The striped mosquito is particularly vicious. Named for the white stripes on its legs, it bites relentlessly day and night and flies silently—earning the nickname “the tiniest assassin.”

Wang Bo had not suffered much from them; the Castle Heart could repel mosquitoes. But most townspeople did not live in the castle, and summer was unbearable for them.

Bowen’s proposal aligned with public sentiment. After he suggested it, locals even organized a small gathering in support. Seeing this, Wang Bo decided to launch a town-wide mosquito eradication campaign.

In the following days, sanitation workers drove bulldozers, pickups, and garbage trucks around town.

The first task was clearing trash and small water puddles. Wang Bo proposed the slogan: “No standing water in our territory except Twin Lakes.”

Households collected bottles and containers from their yards. Any containers filled with rainwater become breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

This campaign not only reduced mosquito populations but also greatly improved the town’s cleanliness. Ditches were cleaned, puddles filled, and lawns restored—the entire Sunset Town was refreshed.