Cormorant fishing is a traditional fishing technique in which fishermen use trained cormorants to catch fish in rivers. Historically, cormorant fishing has taken place in China and Japan, as well as Greece, North Macedonia, and briefly, England and France. Sometimes known simply as "Duck Fishing," it was attested as a method used by the ancient Japanese in the Book of Sui, the official history of the Sui Dynasty of China, completed in 636 CE. Though cormorant fishing once was a successful enterprise, its primary use today is to serve the tourism industry. This artisan fishing method is no longer used anywhere except southwestern China, where it is also under threat from competition from more modern methods.
Yangshuo cormorant fisherman
Chinese cormorant fisherman in Yangshuo
Great cormorants are typically used by Chinese fishers
Chinese fisherman with his cormorants
Fishing techniques are methods for catching fish. The term may also be applied to methods for catching other aquatic animals such as molluscs and edible marine invertebrates.
Ama diver in Japan
Noodling for catfish in southern USA
A Hupa man with his spear
A fisherman casting a net in Kerala, India