The sun was up now, climbing steadily. Its light reflected off the water, making him squint. He noticed it was quieter than usual. Normally there would be gulls overhead, but today, just a few birds circled in the distance. Something about the stillness felt off.
He thought back to previous seasons. The fishing had dropped off. Maybe it was overfishing, or maybe the fish had moved farther out. He also pulled in more plastic these days—bags, wrappers. It was discouraging.