Fishing using trained cormorants to catch large fish
Yangshuo cormorant fisherman
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,[1] 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 to serve 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.[2][3][4]
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),[5] 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.
^Jackson, C. E. (1997). "Fishing with cormorants". Archives of Natural History. 24 (2): 189–211. doi:10.3366/anh.1997.24.2.189.
^Manzi, M.; Coomes, O. T. (2010). "Cormorant Fishing in Southwestern China: A Traditional Fishery Under Siege". The Geographical Review. 92 (4): 597–603. doi:10.1111/j.1931-0846.2002.tb00015.x. S2CID 162736384.
^Rose, Gerald (1987). The fisherman and the cormorants. London: Bodley Head. ISBN 0-370-31060-8.
^Cite error: The named reference wildchina was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Cormorant Fishing "UKAI"". May 2001. Archived from the original on 2009-01-09. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
Cormorantfishing is a traditional fishing technique in which fishermen use trained cormorants to catch fish in rivers. Historically, cormorant fishing...
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