Villagers in China can earn cash by farming, fishing and — if they’re lucky — counterespionage.

In September, a resident in Zhejiang province’s Wenzhou, surnamed Yang, spotted an underwater device just off the beach. Authorities checked it out and determined it was likely a “spying device” developed by a Canadian company, used for search and detection in underwater environments, according to the local Wenzhou Daily, citing the propaganda department of the local national security bureau.

The report did not say officials had determined the device was from the Canadian government.

Either way, security officials visited Yang’s village and have rewarded him with an undisclosed prize.

"The counterespionage condition in our country is severe and complicated,” the article warned. “The spying devices targeting our marine and hydrological environment are evolving on a daily basis.”