Cormorant fishing has been a tradition for over 1,300 years. Climate change might spell its end.

Elias ChavezJan 15, 2024, 10:46 IST

Youichiro Adachi, a cormorant fishing master known as an usho, holds leashes tied to the necks of cormorants as he prepares for cormorant fishing on the Nagara River in Oze, Seki, Japan.KIM KYUNG-HOON/REUTERS

Cormorant fishing has been a fishing method in Japan and China for over 1,300 years.
Commercially popular fishing methods put the tradition at risk of disappearing.

Under the light of the moon, with sparkling fire swinging from the edge of their boats lighting their way, Gifu City's fishermen are ready to start their day.

Instead of using poles, rods, and lures, the fishermen, known as an usho, use cormorants to retrieve the ayu sweetfish from the river, in an ancient practice known as ukai.

The fishermen are responsible for a team of 10 cormorants raised from hatchlings. They tie ropes around their necks to maintain control of them and prevent them from swallowing any big fish.

But as the climate changes, the practice faces a new set of problems. Increasing sediment on the riverbeds, heavier rains, and man-made flood barriers disrupt the ayu's natural habitats and food sources.

Cormorant fishing was once common in Japan, and a similar method was practiced in early China.

A 16th-century image depicting fishing with Cormorants from the Ming dynasty.Heritage Images via Getty Images

The practice even gained popularity amongst European aristocracy.

A 16th-century engraving by French artists of a woman and child fishing with cormorants.Sepia Times via Getty Images

The practice of cormorant fishing hasn't changed much.

A group of usho sit on the beach watching their cormorants stand on their baskets.Keystone-France via Getty Images

The fishing season lasts from May to October, and most usho begin fishing at sundown.

Cormorant fishing master Youichiro Adachi, and his son Toichiro, anchor their boat to a fishing spot on Nagara River.KIM KYUNG-HOON/REUTERS

Cormorants are put on the boats in large bamboo baskets and taken to the river to begin their day.

A cormorant belonging to the cormorant fishing master, or usho, Youichiro Adachi, sits in a basket before cormorant fishing.KIM KYUNG-HOON/ REUTERS

Once on the river, Usho light fires over the water to attract fish and help their cormorants see.

A cormorant swims to catch ayu river fish.KIM KYUNG-HOON/REUTERS

Usho tie loose knots around the necks of the cormorants to control them and prevent them from swallowing big fish.

A man holds onto the strings that are attached to each cormorant's neck.REUTERS/Issei Kato

Ayu with beak marks from cormorants are usually worth more.

A fish with marks of a cormorant on its body.KIM KYUNG-HOON/REUTERS

But the fish that the cormorants are catching are getting smaller and harder to find.

Ayu river fish heads are unfolded to extract the sensory bones, next to 20-year-old samples taken by members of Gifu Prefectural Research Institute for Fisheries and Aquatic Environments.KIM KYUNG-HOON/REUTERS

The major contributing factor to these changes is climate change.

An usho sits in his hut during a sudden rain shower on the river.KIM KYUNG-HOON/REUTERS

Researchers recognized the impact of climate change on local ecosystems.

Gifu University professors collect water to analyze the environmental DNA of ayu river fish from the Nagara River.KIM KYUNG-HOON/REUTERS

As the fish are in decline and the tradition is fading, ukai is now mostly supported through tourism.

Maiko Kikuyu, serves visitors on a viewing boat during a party organized by the nonprofit organization ORGAN, before watching cormorant fishing.KIM KYUNG-HOON/REUTERS

But climate change has also posed a threat to the tourism business.

Houkan (male counterpart to Geisha) Tatsuji, and Maiko (apprentice female Geisha), Kikuyu, sit with visitors to watch cormorant fishing at a riverside observation deck.KIM KYUNG-HOON/REUTERS

As the climate continues to change and industrial fishing increases, the future of ukai is uncertain.

A cormorant fishing master sits near a bonfire before cormorant fishing for the night.KIM KYUNG-HOON/REUTERS

With the job being less lucrative, younger generations are faced with a difficult choice.

Toichiro, son of cormorant fishing master, Youichiro Adachi, works as a programmer at a Nagase Integrex factory in Seki, Japan.KIM KYUNG-HOON/REUTERS

They can either choose an industry job or continue the centuries-old family tradition.

Toichiro (right), stands on a boat with his father, Youichiro Adachi, after cormorant fishing on the Nagara River in Oze, Seki, Japan.KIM KYUNG-HOON/REUTERS

Not only is the loss of tradition at risk, but the bond between the usho and their birds.

A seventeenth-generation Japanese Master of Cormorants stands with one of his birds by the Nagara River in Gibu, Japan circa 1950.Three Lions via Getty Images

The bond between usho and their cormorants is so strong that their birds will only listen to them.

Youichiro Adachi strokes his bird's neck during a daily physical check-up to confirm its health and maintain their bond.KIM KYUNG-HOON/REUTERS

Usho and their cormorants don't just work together — the two spend their whole lives together.

Cormorant fishing master, Youichiro Adachi, imitates the fluttering of a cormorant to make the bird mimic him, giving Adachi a chance to check on its health.KIM KYUNG-HOON/REUTERS

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