The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-06-08
FISHING wrrH BIRDS.
Curious and Ancient Industry Carried
on in Japan.


The origin OF cormorant fishing in
Japan il lost in very remote antiquity.
At least thousand years ago it is
known to have dourished, and there is
a tradition of its existence upward Of
1000 years ago. Much romance and
history are connected with the fishery
in the early days, and the names Of
some of Japan's greatest warriors and
statesmen are associated with it. While
a commercial enterprise, it does not,
however, give employment to many PEG.
pie, and is not conducted in many places.
1t is confined to rivers, and the most ex-
tensive, interesting and famous fishery
is that in the Niagara River and the
most noted OF the cormorant fishing vil-
lagos is in the outskirts of the large
city of Gifu.
|. At the time of my visit the chief cor
morant fisherman, whose ancestors for
many generations had engaged in this
fishery in the same locality, attired him
self in the peculiar dress of the profess
sion for the purpose of exhibiting his
birds and the methods of handling them.
Later he and all the other fishermen on
the river went to a rendezvous and gave
a practical demonstration OF cormorant
fishing.
The cormorants are controlled by
means of a slender cord, which passes
around the birds breast and is tied in
the middle of the back. The cord is
made of woody fibres of the cryptomeria
tree, with the exception of short sec
tion next to the bird, which consists Of
whalebone. There is supplemental
cord tied around the neck at the lower
end of the gullet for the purpose of pre-
venting the fish from passing so far
that they cannot be recovered. The ty-
ing of this cord is a delicate operation,
for if too tight it may injure the bird
and if too loose it will allow the fish
to be swallowed.
The fishery is conducted from boats
which are Of special type, being long,
narrow dugouts, propelled primarily by
paddles, but when en- route to the fish
1 ing grounds often provided with sail.
Each boat has crew Of four men and
complement of sixteen cormorants.
Late in the afternoon the boats start
Tor a place in the river where fishing
viii begin, the cormorants being slowed
away in pairs in bamboo baskets. The
fishing grounds cover many miles and
operations are confined to successive
sections of the river nightly, in accord
anee with law. Stretches several thou
sand yards in lenght are set aside as
| imperial preserves, on which no fishing
Iis permitted.
| As soon as darkness prevails, ablazing
| fire of pine wood is kindled in the iron
basket oyerhanging the bow of the boat
and the boats drift downstream to-
gether, sometimes in mixed group
sometimes in a line extending across
the river, each guided and propelled by
two men. The captain, standing near
the bow, manages twelve cormorants
and his assistant four, the cords being
held between the fingers and frequently
shifted as the birds move about. With
the cormorants diving and darting in
all directions, those of differents boats
often mingling, it is wonder that they
do not soon become inextricably tangled
but SO skillfully are they managed that
the lines rarely become fouled. In q
short time the cormorants' outlets be-
Gin to bulge with ayu; when they are
we'll filed the birds are pulled up to the
gunwales one by one and their catch
is gently squeezed into baskets. This
continues for several hours, and each
cormorant may fill its gullett fifteen to
twenty times.
Spectators usually go to the fishing
grounds in kind of barge, illuminated
BY lanterns, and eat their dinner on
board while waiting at convenient
point for the fishing boats to arrive.
During the evening when witnessed
the fishery the seven boats in whose
operations was particularly interest
ed averaged 700 to 500 fish apiece, and
the aggregate catch was worth $3.50
very respectable sum to japanese
fishermen
The fishery is prosecuted with enthu-
siasm by both men and cormorants, and
the shouts of the fishermen, the hoarse
croaking of the birds, the rush of the
mountain stream, the splashing and
creaking OF the paddles, the kissing OF
the embers as they fall into the water,
the weird lights and shadows combine
to make performance which West
erner is not likely soon to forget. Ma
tiona Magazine.