Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-10-26
HOW THE JAPS FISH.
They Make Cormorants do the Work
For Them.

Bert B. Culver of Minneapolis, who
has just returned from an oriental trip
with his mother and brother, talks
very Interestingly Of the methods in
vogue among japanese fishermen. He
describes a trip to the town Of Gifu
where opportunity was afforded him
to observe the fishing exploits of the
natives. Mr.. Culver says:
About dark we arrived at Gifu.
where a river, the name of which
can not recall, rushes by at ten miles
an hour. This stream is clear and
cold, raising far up in the sacred
mountains. 1t is perhaps 200 feet wide
at Gifu. The fishing fleet of small
boats was expected at any moment,
but it was fully an hour before we
caught the sound Of voices and the
pounding and humping Of the club
! bers in the boats. Soon a flash of
light touched the wrinkled face of the
giant cliff that hangs over the rushing
currents above Gifu. The fishermen
were coming and the excitement was
| intense.
| Another moment and seven great
| lights blazed through the darkness, as
the boats rounded bend. Large iron
| baskets filled with blazing faggots, one
at the bow Of each boat, hung out like
our old-fashioned jack-lights, that the
| gigers use. The flames leaped or
feet high and lighted the scene, casting
weird shadows and shafts of light to
the very top of the rugged cliffs. The
river was lighted up in front of the
| boats as if the sun was high in the
| heavens, contrasting wildly with the
darkness Of the starless and moonless
surroundings.
I'm front of each boat seven Of those
fierce sea-ravens commonly called cor
morants, were busy gobbling up fish
| that ran into the arc of light. One
man had the birds in charge. They
were harnessed together Around the
breast and under the wings straps were
passed. This is done so tie rings will
not get tangled in the rein by which
the cormorant fishers are controlled
While the man at the bow is busy with
the birds, the steersm6n WhOOps like
a savage and pounds the sides and bot
tom of the boat to drive the fish ahead,
where the unerring birds snap them
up like lightning until their pouch is
full. Then they are pulled into the
boat and made to disgOrge, by a kind
of choking process, into large bamboo
baskets. The cormorant is Of the
f1amingo family, web footed, fleet as a
greyhound and fierce as a falcon. The
handlers of these birds are compelled
to wear heavy masks to keep the cor
morants from pecking out their eyes.
I was never so amazed or interested
before in my life. To watch those
birds work with the fury OF demons
was we'll worth a trip to Japan.
''The boats, found On entering one
were about 18-feet long, gondola-
shaped in front and square at the stern
Each boat contained supply of in
f1ammable wood, two men and recep-
} tacles for the fish. The boats were
; dashed together with strong bamboo
poles about feet long. These seven
boats move abreast and completely
covered the river from shore to shore
There was no chance for the fish to es
cape the alert and tireless birds. They
gobbled the poor things up like hun
CRY chick does it's corn. When five OF
six fish of from five inches to fool
long were in the. pouch of the cormor.
ant, he was hauled in and choked unit
he gave up his catch.
I'VE went about two miles dowr
stream in the fishing boats, and no one
can imagine the sensations thai
thrilled us. Each bird attached to the
boat was in averaged 1900 pounds o.
fish for it's nights work, which, was
told, was about the usual amount ex
pected from each cormorant. WheT
: baskets were filled, the boats were de-
tached and beached. The birds were
then fed, and while munching their
allowance of the fish, gathered around
the big jacklight, holding out first one
wing, and then the other, as you often
see turkey buzzards do when summing
themselves. The fire was kept up un-
til the feathered fishermen had
thoroughly dried their plumage and
warmed up their chilled bodies, for
the water of the river was very cold
and they had been in it almost con-
stantly for hours.
cat the landing place bevy of those
chattering little geisha girls awaited us
, and then grand fish fry and fireworks
were INDUCED in. Now what would
you think of that? A fish fry at mid
night away off in the mikado noun
!. tains. It was a jolly and never-to-be-
forgotten event in our lives to GER
tainty."