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In the eastern countries of China and Japan, avian predators are used for fishing. For decades and centuries, cormorants have participated in fishing alongside fishermen, adding a wealth of trophies to their catches. Although fishing trips on the Putorana Plateau, where you can hunt taimen, the master of Siberian rivers, don't offer this type of fishing, I think anglers will be interested to learn how Asians fish with cormorants. That is, with their help.
A bit of history
Residents of Japan and China began this type of fishing as early as the sixth and seventh centuries AD. They still practice cormorant fishing today. In earlier times, this type of fishing was widespread, and many, especially the poor, caught fish this way. Nowadays, cormorant fishing is a recreational activity for tourists.
It's worth noting that some European countries, such as England and France, also practiced this method of fishing, but it didn't catch on there. European fishermen returned to traditional methods using spinning rods and fishing poles.
How to fish with cormorants?
In fact, these predatory seabirds are not averse to a feast of their own. But residents of Japan and China work closely with cormorants, using them to catch substantial trophies. But how do you use a bird as a fishing tool? It turns out it's quite simple:
- Cormorants are caught and tamed. It's no secret that these predators are excellent fishermen.
- The bird is tied by one leg and after swimming to the fishing spot, it is released into the water.
- To prevent predators from eating the various fish they catch, a special ring is placed around the birds' necks. Fishing yields a variety of trophies, including salmonids, such as cherry trout or smelt relatives, and ayu or ayu.
- Fishing takes place at night, and anglers are required to carry torches on their boats. This allows not only for illumination but also for observing the cormorants, of which there may be up to 10 on board.
- One bird at a time after emerging from the water can bring several trophies at once, sometimes 5 or 6 fish of not very large sizes.
As we can see, such a fishing expedition can yield a variety of trophies. The main thing is to catch sea cormorants, as river cormorants are not as nimble and voracious, and then train them to cooperate. After removing the fish from their beaks, the birds are given treats and they happily fish with the person, perfectly understanding what is required of them.
Instead of an epilogue
Fishing with cormorants is very interesting and exciting, but it has its drawbacks. Not all bodies of water allow visitors to fish with the birds themselves. Mostly, they simply watch the fishermen.
The trophies aren't as large as those you might catch during a visit to the protected taiga of the Putorana Plateau. Fishing trips offer a wonderful opportunity to relax your body and soul, and most importantly, to catch a river tiger, the taimen, the master of Siberian rivers.
