People visiting the city of Gifu in central Japan have seen that sometimes it takes a bird to catch a fish.
Fishermen on the Nagara River use cormorants to catch sweetfish. The custom is more than 1,300 years old.
Boats line up side by side and drive the fish into the shallows. Fishermen guide the cormorants with leashes. A bird takes a fish in its mouth, it's pulled back into the boat. A cord around the cormorant's neck prevents it from swallowing its catch.
(Tourists)
"Very nice. It was great. It was really fantastic."
"I was so impressed with the fishermen's skill."
Cormorant fishing on the river continues through October 15. City officials expect the event to draw 115,000 visitors during the season — more than last year, when record rainfall kept the crowds away.
Fishermen on the Nagara River use cormorants to catch sweetfish. The custom is more than 1,300 years old.
Boats line up side by side and drive the fish into the shallows. Fishermen guide the cormorants with leashes. A bird takes a fish in its mouth, it's pulled back into the boat. A cord around the cormorant's neck prevents it from swallowing its catch.
(Tourists)
"Very nice. It was great. It was really fantastic."
"I was so impressed with the fishermen's skill."
Cormorant fishing on the river continues through October 15. City officials expect the event to draw 115,000 visitors during the season — more than last year, when record rainfall kept the crowds away.
◆cormorant鵜 a large black seabird which has a long neck and eats fish
◆sweet fishアユ
◆leash 引き綱、引き縄 a piece of rope, leather etc fastened to a dog’s collar in order to control it SYN lead
