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Cormorant fishing

Fishing using trained cormorants to catch large fish

Fishing using trained cormorants to catch large fish

Cormorant fishing is a traditional fishing technique in which fishermen use trained cormorants to catch fish in rivers. Historically, cormorant fishing has taken place in China and Japan, as well as Greece, North Macedonia, and briefly, England and France. Sometimes known as "duck fishing," it was attested as a method used by the ancient Japanese in the Book of Sui, the official history of the Sui dynasty of China, completed in 636 CE. Though cormorant fishing was once a successful enterprise, its primary use today is for the tourism industry. This artisan fishing method is no longer used anywhere except southwestern China, where it is also under threat from competition from more modern methods.

To control the birds, the fishermen tie a loose snare near the base of the bird's throat. The snare does not stop the bird from swallowing small fish, but prevents the bird from swallowing larger fish, which are held temporarily in their gullet. When a cormorant has caught a fish in its throat, the fisherman brings the bird back to the boat and has it regurgitate the fish.

The types of cormorants used differ based on the location. Chinese fishermen typically employ the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), while the Japanese cormorant (Phalacrocorax capillatus) is used in Japan and the neotropic cormorant (Nannopterum brasilianum) in Peru. Darters (birds in the genus Anhinga), which are relatives of cormorants, are also used for this fishing technique on occasion.

China

Chinese cormorant fisherman in [[Yangshuo

In Guilin, Guangxi, cormorants are famous for fishing on the shallow Lijiang River. Elsewhere in southern China, the Bai people have utilized cormorant fishing since the 9th century on the banks of Erhai Lake. Traditionally practised for sustenance, cormorant fishing is now primarily performed for tourists.

Japan

Cormorant fishing in Japan is called ukai (鵜飼) in Japanese. Originally, it was done as one of the main fishing methods for ayu (sweetfish) fishing. However, since it is "unique" (as it uses birds and skillful techniques), viewing cormorant fishing, since the Heian period, has been used as amusement for aristocratic classes and warlords in Japan.

Oda Nobunaga started showing cormorant fishing for hospitality in Japan. In 1568, Oda Nobunaga, welcoming a messenger from Takeda Shingen, made a new boat and invited the messenger as a guest to show cormorant fishing. In addition, he chose ayu (sweetfish) with his own eyes and sent it to the guest as a gift at a later date. Tokugawa Ieyasu, after the Summer Campaign (1615) Siege of Osaka, visited Gifu, where he enjoyed seeing cormorant fishing and eating ayu. Thus, masters of cormorant fishing began to offer ayu sushi to the Shogun and were allowed to move freely over the river.

Cormorant fishing currently takes place in 13 cities in Japan. The most famous location is Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, home to cormorant fishing on the Nagara River, which has continued uninterrupted for the past 1,300 years. Cormorant fishing in Seki also takes place on the Nagara River, but it is called 'Oze cormorant fishing' (小瀬鵜飼 Oze Ukai). Only the cormorant fishing masters in Gifu and Seki are employed by the emperor and called Imperial Fishermen of the Imperial Household Agency.

  • Fuefuki, Yamanashi Prefecture (Fuefuki River)
  • Gifu, Gifu Prefecture (Nagara River)
  • Seki, Gifu Prefecture (Nagara River)
  • Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture (Kiso River)
  • Uji, Kyoto Prefecture (Uji River)
  • Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture (Ōi River)
  • Arida, Wakayama Prefecture (Arida River)
  • Miyoshi, Hiroshima Prefecture (Basen River)
  • Masuda, Shimane Prefecture (Takatsu River)
  • Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture (Nishiki River)
  • Ōzu, Ehime Prefecture (Hiji River)
  • Hita, Ōita Prefecture (Mikuma River)
  • Asakura, Fukuoka Prefecture (Chikugo River)

Peru

Tethered cormorant used for fishing on Lake Titicaca

Cormorants are used for fishing on Lake Titicaca by the Uru people in Peru. There are claims cormorant fishing occurred in Peru during the 5th century, 100 years earlier than Japan.

Europe

Cormorant fishing is an old tradition in Greece and North Macedonia, especially on Doiran Lake which lies in the border of the two countries, and it is still practiced today by some traditional fishermen. In Western Europe, cormorant fishing took place from the 16th to 17th centuries, primarily in England and France. In the 19th century, Francis Henry Salvin reintroduced the practice in England by putting on displays and bringing his birds to fisheries exhibitions. This "second phase" of English cormorant fishing lasted until about 1890.

References

References

  1. (1997). "Fishing with cormorants". Archives of Natural History.
  2. (2010). "Cormorant Fishing in Southwestern China: A Traditional Fishery Under Siege". [[The Geographical Review]].
  3. Rose, Gerald. (1987). "The fisherman and the cormorants". Bodley Head.
  4. (May 2001). "Cormorant Fishing "UKAI"".
  5. (19 August 2010). "Heart of the Dragon: Cormorant fishing". [[BBC Two]].
  6. Larson-Wang, Jessica. (7 May 2017). "The History Behind the Cormorant Fishermen of Erhai Lake".
  7. Ryozo, Yanagida. (June 2010). "「文化としての岐阜の都市空間に関する研究・その２−鵜飼の環境デザインを考える」". [[Gifu City Women's College]].
  8. "ぎふ長良川の鵜飼公式サイト「1300年以上の歴史と伝統」". Gifu-Ukai.
  9. "Gifu Cormorant Fishing on the Nagara River". Gifu City Cormorant Fishing Observation Boat Office.
  10. (1960). "Pre-Inca Art and Culture". Orion Press.
  11. "Macedonian cities - Dojran". Macedonian Cultural and Information Centre.
  12. Beike, Marcus. (2014). "The history of Cormorant fishing in Europe". Vogelwelt.
  13. Wills, Simon. (2017-11-30). "A History of Birds". Grub Street Publishers.
  14. Beike, Marcus. (2012). "The history of Cormorant fishing in Europe". Vogelwelt.
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