VOA标准英语2012--US Jellyfish Land on Asian Dinner Tables

US Jellyfish Land on Asian Dinner Tables

 

Jellyfish are lovely creatures to behold¹ underwater, as their gelatinous, tentacled² bodies undulate in the currents. They are also a nuisance and a hazard. They can sting swimmers and clog³ fishing nets.

But, along the coast of the southern U.S. state of Georgia, jellyfish are a valuable export, which end up on dining tables across Asia.

Early on this chilly⁴ February morning, most everyone in the tiny coastal⁵ town of Darien is still asleep, but on the docks of Marco Seafood⁶, along the Darien River, there’s plenty of activity. The shrimp⁷ trawler, Kim C. King, has just moored⁸, and nearly 100 workers are ready to start processing last night’s catch of jellyfish, which the locals call jellyballs. 

“Basically jellyballs have been a nuisance to fisherman for 100 years,” says Thornell King.

TK, as everyone calls him, owns three shrimp boats, but each winter, when shrimp season is over, he sets his nets for jellyballs. That’s just his part time job.

“Actually other than catching⁹ jellyballs, I’d much rather catch criminals," he says. "I’m a Georgia State Trooper.”

TK has been jellyballing for 14 years. Jellyballs - they’re actually cannonball jellyfish - are found in the warm coastal waters of the southeastern United States. They’re seasonal¹⁰ - starting to appear in late winter and continue to be seen through the beginning of shrimping season in June and July

According to Georgia state marine¹¹ biologist Jim Page, they’re very common. “We always kind of laugh but, when they’re abundant, you could just about walk on water with them, you could walk from one to the next.”

They look like big floating mushrooms.

“They have a pretty solid core, a fairly rigid¹² core, on the underside of a dome¹³ shaped cap," Page says. "The cap is real soft. It is clear typically, usually has a maroon¹⁴ coloration around the outer edge of that cap, the soft dome that’s on top.”

Their tentacles¹⁵ are shorter than those of other jellyfish, and cannonballs don’t sting. Most are about the size of grapefruits, although some can be as big as basketballs.

During shrimping season, they often get trapped in nets, so shrimpers have installed special devices - called jellyball shooters - in their nets to clear them out. 

Darien became a jellyfish hub two decades ago, when a man named George Tai started catching them and exporting them to Asia. When he left Darien, he sold the processing plant and his fishing equipment to TK and his partner. Today, Marco Seafood is the area’s only jellyfish processor and exporter, even though the creatures can be found all along the southeastern coast, from North Carolina to Florida.

Georgia jellyfish are dried, preserved and packaged before being sold to a seafood distributor that ships them to Japan, China and Thailand. 

There, dried jellyfish are a delicacy¹⁶, used in soups and salads. 

TK says they’re crunchy. “Actually they taste a little like the gristle of a chicken bone. It’s got that crunchy taste and that’s what the people in Japan and China, they like that crunch¹⁷.”

Marine biologist Page has tried them, too. He’s not a fan. “One time and that was gracious plenty for me. They were more salty than anything. It was not my favorite, but fortunately there’s others out there that found it to be a favorite.”

Jellyball fishing is Georgia’s third largest commercial fishery - after shrimp and crabs¹⁸ - but only five boats are permitted to catch them. That’s because Marco Seafood can handle only about 22,000 thousand kilos of jellyfish - one boat load - at a time, and there are no other processors. 

So for now, although there’s an almost unlimited¹⁹ supply of jellyballs, and TK thinks demand for his dried jellyfish will only increase, Asian gourmands²⁰ will have to be satisfied with a limited supply of Georgia jellyfish.

1 behold   

v.看，注视，看到

参考例句：

• The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
• The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。

2 tentacled   

有触角[触手]的

参考例句：

3 clog   

vt.塞满，阻塞；n.[常pl.]木屐

参考例句：

• In cotton and wool processing,short length fibers may clog sewers.在棉毛生产中，短纤维可能堵塞下水管道。
• These streets often clog during the rush hour.这几条大街在交通高峰时间常常发生交通堵塞。

4 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

5 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

6 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

7 shrimp   

n.虾，小虾；矮小的人

参考例句：

• When the shrimp farm is built it will block the stream.一旦养虾场建起来，将会截断这条河流。
• When it comes to seafood,I like shrimp the best.说到海鲜，我最喜欢虾。

8 moored   

adj. 系泊的 动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London. 该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。
• We shipped (the) oars and moored alongside the bank. 我们收起桨，把船泊在岸边。

9 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

10 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

11 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

12 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

13 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

14 maroon   

v.困住，使（人）处于孤独无助之境；n.逃亡黑奴；孤立的人；酱紫色，褐红色；adj.酱紫色的，褐红色的

参考例句：

• Five couples were marooned in their caravans when the River Avon broke its banks.埃文河决堤的时候，有5对夫妇被困在了他们的房车里。
• Robinson Crusoe has been marooned on a desert island for 26 years.鲁滨逊在荒岛上被困了26年。

15 tentacles   

n.触手( tentacle的名词复数 )；触角；触须；触毛

参考例句：

• Tentacles of fear closed around her body. 恐惧的阴影笼罩着她。
• Many molluscs have tentacles. 很多软体动物有触角。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 delicacy   

n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴

参考例句：

• We admired the delicacy of the craftsmanship.我们佩服工艺师精巧的手艺。
• He sensed the delicacy of the situation.他感觉到了形势的微妙。

17 crunch   

n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声

参考例句：

• If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
• People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。

18 crabs   

n.蟹( crab的名词复数 )；阴虱寄生病；蟹肉v.捕蟹( crab的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• As we walked along the seashore we saw lots of tiny crabs. 我们在海岸上散步时看到很多小蟹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The fish and crabs scavenge for decaying tissue. 鱼和蟹搜寻腐烂的组织为食。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

20 gourmands   

n.喜欢吃喝的人，贪吃的人( gourmand的名词复数 )；美食主义

参考例句：

• The food here satisfies gourmands rather than gourmets. 这里的食物可以管饱却不讲究品质。 来自辞典例句