Aquatic Overpopulation
| Aquatic Overpopulation | |
|---|---|
| Type | Special Order |
| Board | Special Orders board |
| Giver | Demetrius |
| Time Limit | 7 days |
| Repeatable | Yes |
Demetrius decides one fish species has grown too numerous and asks an angler to thin it out. He names the fish himself, and because his list changes with the calendar, the same notice can mean a pleasant morning at the pier or a run of late nights on a lake shore. The payment is unusual and generous: he hands over what the catch would have fetched and leaves the fish in the bag, so the order effectively pays twice. Finishing it also brings the Farm Computer recipe, the gadget that reads out the state of a whole map at a glance. For a farm with a Fiberglass Rod and a little bait, this is among the quickest notices on the board to clear.
The board reads: For unknown reasons, the local population of [Fish] has grown to an unsustainable level. I need a local angler to help reduce their numbers.
Requirements
Only fish landed after the order starts count, so a chest of smoked and salted stock from last season is no use. Trash and seaweed pulled up along the way do nothing for the tally either, which is why the real work is picking a spot where the named fish is common rather than fishing wherever is nearest.
The named fish carries all the awkward conditions, and they differ sharply. In Spring the list leans on the ocean, with Flounder, Halibut and Sardine at the shore and Largemouth Bass in the Mountain Lake, while Sunfish bites in the river only when the sky is clear, so a wet week can stall a Sunfish request completely. Summer brings Dorado, which lives in the Cindersap Forest stretch of the river and nowhere else in town, alongside Rainbow Trout in sunny weather, Tilapia that stops biting in the early afternoon, and Red Mullet and Tuna at the beach. Fall mixes easy daytime river fish such as Salmon and Tiger Trout with Albacore, which bites in a morning window and again late at night, and Midnight Carp, which only appears in the small hours at the Mountain Lake or the Cindersap Forest pond. Winter narrows to Lingcod and Perch in the river and Squid off the beach in the evening.
Quality matters here in a way it does not on most orders. Because the fee is worked out from the sale value of the fish handed over, silver and gold catches raise the payment. The angling professions do not add their mark-up to that calculation, so the bonus comes from skill at the bar rather than from the career choice.
Which fish or crop is asked for depends on the season.
| Season | Fish |
|---|---|
| Spring | Flounder, Halibut, Largemouth Bass, Sardine, Sunfish |
| Summer | Dorado, Rainbow Trout, Red Mullet, Tilapia, Tuna |
| Fall | Albacore, Midnight Carp, Salmon, Tiger Trout |
| Winter | Lingcod, Perch, Squid |
Rewards
Targeted at the right fish, the fee can be the best hourly rate on the board. A notice naming Tuna or Lingcod pays far more than one naming Sardine, and keeping the fish on top of that leaves them free for a Fish Smoker, a Preserves Jar or the museum of recipes in the farmhouse kitchen.
The Farm Computer is the recipe worth planning for. Placed on the farm it reports hay in the silos, how many crops are planted, how many are ready, how many went unwatered, what is ripe in the greenhouse, how much tilled soil is still bare, loose forage and which machines have finished. Carried elsewhere it reads out the same figures for wherever it stands, which turns it into a quick way to check a second farm plot or a forage map without walking it. Building one calls for a Dwarf Gadget from the middle floors of The Mines or from a geode, a Battery Pack and a stack of Refined Quartz, so it tends to be built a while after the recipe arrives.
Demetrius posts two different fishing notices and both hand over the same recipe, so whichever of the pair appears first settles it.
Finishing the order pays out all of this.
| Reward | Image |
|---|---|
| Gold equivalent to selling the fish (includes quality prices but not profession price bonuses) | 
|
| Farm Computer recipe | 
|
Strategy
Prepare the tackle rather than the fish. Targeted Bait made for the named species raises the chance of hooking it sharply, and it can either be milled from a spare fish in a Bait Maker or bought from the Fish Shop. A Dressed Spinner or a Curiosity Lure cuts down on rubbish, and a longer cast from deeper water helps on its own.
Match the hour to the fish before setting out. A late night species wants an evening trip with a meal for energy, and a sun-only species wants a glance at the forecast the night before. Food that lifts fishing skill, a lucky day and a rod with the right enchantment all shorten the week.
The order fails most often through a mismatch between the fish and the week's weather or hours, and after that through late acceptance, since the countdown starts the Monday the notice went up. Fishing the wrong body of water is the third trap: a river species will not bite in the lake, however long the line sits there.
Notes
Most of the named fish turn up in the town's bins in their own seasons and occasionally in the travelling merchant's stock, but neither route helps the tally, since the counter follows the rod rather than the inventory.
Squid is the one winter name with a festival loophole worth remembering, because the beach event in the middle of Winter lets it be caught right through the day instead of only after dark.
A Fish Pond stocked with the named species does not replace fishing for this order, though it is a sensible home for the surplus once the tally is full.
All Special Orders
Every special order from both boards, with who posts it and how long it runs.