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China, Tongli – Traditional Cormorant Fishing (00:01:25)

$120.00

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 Japan and China, as well as Greece, North Macedonia, and briefly, England and France. It is first 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 once was 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.

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 out.

Narration: English

China, Tongli – Traditional Cormorant Fishing (00:01:25) High-Quality Images & Videos The MCA Collection

Frame Size: 1920×1080
Frame Rate: 24

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