Year of Rat 2020

As is customary at Fishermen’s Finest, each year we take a moment to reflect upon the past and look to the future as the fishing season starts and we celebrate Chinese New Year.  Kung Hei Fat Choi.

Happy New Year – 2020 – Year of the Rat (metal)

American No.1, America’s Finest and US Intrepid in Illiuliuk Bay

The Rat is the first of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. The Rat tricked the Ox into giving him a ride. Then, just as they arrived at the finish line, Rat jumped down and landed ahead of Ox, becoming first.

The Rat is also associated with the Earthly Branch (地支—dì zhī) Zi (子) and the midnight hours. In the terms of yin and yang (阴阳—yīn yáng), the Rat is yang and represents the beginning of a new day.

In Chinese culture, rats were seen as a sign of wealth and surplus.

Historical perspective for Fishermen’s Finest:  The last year of the Rat was 2008 (wood Rat), the inaugural year of Amendment 80 to the Fisheries Management Plan of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (A.80, the acronym by which our H&G trawl Fleet is known).

In the interest of starting fresh and moving forward, we look to this 12 year cycle of Chinese zodiac (2008 – 2020) as a reboot for the A80 sector and look to good things to come for our crew, employees, and vessels, and sector.

Kung Hei Fat Choi – 2020 – Year of the Rat (metal)