Cormorant fishing

Common card · No. 324235

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. It has significant cultural roots in Asia, specifically in China where it has been practiced for over one thousand years. It is only in China that cormorants have been fully domesticated. Though cormorant fishing was once a successful enterprise, its primary use today is the tourism industry. This artisan fishing method is no longer in commercial use except in southwestern China, where it is under threat 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...

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