The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-11-10
FISHING WITH BIRDS
CURIOUS AND ANCIENT INDUSTRY
CARRIED on. ~ JAPAN.
How Cormorant. Are Harnessed and
Managed by the skiiIfui sad Dex-
ferrous Anglers, working at Might
hy the Light OF Blasting Pine.

terous Anglers, Working at Nigh
by the Light Of Blasting Pine.
The origin OF cormorant fishing II
4 Japan Is lost In very remote antiQui
ty. At least thousand years ago 4
Is known TO have iourished, and ther,
Is tradition OF its existence upward
OF 2.0O0 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
commercial enterprise, il does not
however, give employ ment 10 many
people and is not conducted In many
places. Ii Is confined TO rivers, and
the most extensive, interesting and IA,
nous fishery is that In the Niagara riv.
er, and the most noted of the cormo.
rant fishing villages is In the outskirts
Of the large city OF Glfu.
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
himself In the peculiar dress Of the
profession for the purpose OF exhibit.
ing his birds and the methods of han.
ding them. Later he and all the other
fishermen on the river went to a rem.
devious and gave q practical demon.
stration of cormorant fishing.
AA
means Of slender cord which passes
around the birds breast and Is tied In
the middle OF the back. The cord is
made Of woody fbers Of the cryptome-
ria tree. with the exception of a short
section next TO the bird. which con-
sists Of whalebone. There Is a supple
mental cord tied around the neck AT
the lower end Of the gullet for the pur.
pose OF preventing the fish from pass
ing SO far that they cannot be recoy.
cred. The tying OF this cord is deli.
cate operation. for IL too tight It may
injure the bird, and II too loose It viii
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
fishing grounds often provided with
sail Each boat has a crew OF four
men and complement OF sixteen cor
morants. Late in the afternoon the
boats start for a place in the river
where fishing will begin. the cormo-
rants 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 accordance with law.
Stretches several thousand yards In |
length are set aside as imperial pre-
serves. on which no fishing 10 permit
ted.
As soon a. darkness prevails a blaE-
Ing IRE Of pine wood Is kindled In the
iron basket overhanging the bow Of the |
boat, and the boats drift downstream
together. sometimes In a mixed group.
sometimes In q line extending across
the river, each guided and propelled By
two men. The captain, standing near
the bow. manages twelve eormosants
and his assistant four, the cords being
held between the fingers and frequent
ly shifted as the birds move about
With the cormorants diving and dart.
ing in all directions. those Of different
boats often mingiing. II 10 a wonder
mat they do not soon become inextri.
cably tangled. but 80 skillfully are they
managed that the lines rarely become
fouled. In short time the eormo-
rants guilets begin to bulge with ayu,
When they are well 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
gullet 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 a convenient
point for the fishing boats to arrive.
During the evening when / witnessed
the fishery the seven boats In whose
operations I was particularly interest
ed averaged 700 to 800 fish apiece, and
the aggregate catch was worth $50,
very respectable sum to japanese fish
ermen.
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 hiss
ing of the embers as they fall into the
water, the weird lights and shadows
combine to make performance which
a westerner is not likely soon to for