Cormorant Fishing

We finally went cormorant fishing - one of the top things Joe has wanted to do since we arrived 2 and a half years ago! It was quite the experience, and we're glad we had the opportunity to do it. But when I say we went cormorant fishing, what I mean is that we watched Japanese cormorant fishing masters fish from a nearby boat. It's quite the tourist activity, so you can board a small wooden boat and dine/drink while you watch the fishing take place.

 Boarding our tour boat.

So what is cormorant fishing? It's a traditional method in which fisherman use cormorant birds to catch fish. Basically, the fisherman tie a snare near the base of the bird's throat to prevent them from swallowing the fish. The cormorants are tied to a rope held by the fisherman - then the birds dive underwater to catch the fish. After the bird gets a mouth-full of fish, the fisherman brings the bird back up to the boat to spit out the fish.

Cormorant fishing.

Cormorant fishing has taken place for over 1300 years. We learned that it is handed down hereditarily, and there are 6 fishing masters in the Nagara area.

The fishing master has 2 helpers on board the boat as well. So the team of 3 men float up and down the river to catch ayu, a sweet fish, that is apparently very expensive in Japan. The fishing takes place after the sun goes down, around 8pm. The boat is guided by a wood bonfire. The fishing masters wear special outfits to protect themselves from the sparks of the fire.

Here's a quick video of the men fishing on our tour.

 
The life span of a wild cormorant is about 7-8 years, but the cormorants used for fishing are well cared for and treated like family by the fishing masters.... so their life span is 15-20 years!

Fireworks!!

The night ended with fireworks over the river. It was a beautiful setting - sitting in a Japanese wooden boat on the river, Gifu castle lit up in the distance on top of a mountain, and topped with fireworks above! Apparently there was a wedding nearby - and the fireworks were specifically for the wedding celebration. Very nice!