Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-07-20
FISHING WITH BIRDS
CURIOUS AND ANCIENT INDUSTRY
CARRIED ON IN JAPAN.


Managed by the skiliful md DcX-
ferrous Anglers, working Mt Night
u, the Light OF DInnins Pine.
The origin OF cormorant fishing In
japan is lost In n very remote antiqui-
ty At least thousand years ago 1t
is known to have ilourished, and there
Is Il tradition OF It's existence upward
OF 1000 years ago. Much romance and
history are connected with the fishery
In the early days, AMI the names OF
some OF Jalan's greatest warriors and
statesmen are associated with It, While
commercial enterprise, 1t does not,
however, give employment to many
people and Is not cunduciCi in many
places 1t is confined TO rivers and
the most extensive, interesting and IA
nous fishery Is that In the Niagara rlv-
cr, aud the most noted OF the cormo
rant fishing villages is III the outskirts
II 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 ia the same locality, attircd
himself la the peculiar dress OF the
profession for the purpose Of exhibit
Ing his birds and the methods of ham
ding them. Later he AMI I'LL the other
fishermen on the river went To Il rem
devious and gave practical demon
stratlon OF corInnrnnt fishing
The cOrmOrantS are controlled by
means of slender cord which passes
around the birds breast and il tied In
the middle Of the back The cord Is
mndc OF woody iibers of the cryptomc-
ria tree, with the exception of short
section next to the bird, which CON
sists OF whalrbone. There Is II supple
mental cord tied around the neck ut
the lower end of the outlet for the pur-
pose OF preventing the fish from piss
Ing SO fnr that they cannot he rrcov-
cred. Tie tying of this cord Is IL deli
cate operation, for II too tight it may
lniurc the bird and If too loose 1t will
allow the fish to he swallowed.
The fishery is conducted from boats
which are of Il special type being long,
narrow dusonts. propelled primarily
by paddles. but when On route To the
fishing grounds often provided with a
sail Each boat has II crew OF four
men and complement OF sixteen cor
mo:ants. Late in the afternoon the
boats start for II place III the river
where fishing will begin, the cormo
rants being slowed away in pairs In
bnmboo baskets. The fishing grounds
cover many miles, AMI operations are
confined IT. successive sections of the
river nightly, In accordance with law.
Stretches several thousand yards In
length nrc set aside as imperial pre-
serves, on which no fishing IL permit
ted
AS soon as darkness prevails baZ-
ing fire of pine wood Is kindled In the
IRON basket ovcrllanging the how Of the
boat. and the boats drift downslrcnm
together. sometimes in II mixed group.
sometimes In n line extending across
the river, each guided and propelled by
two men. The captain. standing near
the bow, manages twelve curmorants
ana his assistant four. the cords being
held between the fingers and frequent
} ~ shifted as the birds move about.
with the corlnOrants diving and dart
ing III all directions, those of different
boats often mingling, 1t Is wonder
that they do not soon become IneXtri-
| cably tangled. but SO skillfully are they
managed TINT the lines rarely become
foulcd. In Il short time the corino.
rants outlets begin TO bulge with avn,
When they are well filled the birds arc
pulled up to the ginwalcs one by one.
and their catch Is gently squeezed into
baskets This continues for several
hours. and each corinorant may fill its
guilet fifteen TO twenty times.
Spectators usually go TO the fishing
grounds in kind Of lmrge, 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 bouts in whose
operations | was particularly interest
ca averaged 700 to 500 fish apiece an,
the aggregate catch was worth $50, Il
very respectable sum to Japanese fish
crIncn
| The fishery IS prosecuted with enthu.
siasm by both men and cormorants.
and the shouts Of the fishermen, the
hoarse cr0aliing of the birds, the rush
of the mountain stream, the spashiny
and crcakinG or the paddles, the hiss.
ing of the cmbcra rs they fail into the
water, the weird lights and shadows
combine to make Il performance which
Il wcstcrner is not likely soon to for