Cormorants provide a valuable service in China

Spiel · July 20, 2008

Cormorants provide a valuable service in China

July 19, 2008

Despite all attempts locally to control the population of cormorants, it seems likely they are here to stay. If those in both the commercial and sports fisheries are concerned about their presence, then perhaps it's time to give up the futile task of controlling them, and start contracting out their services.

That's what they do in some parts of China, and Bloomfieldarea resident Ingrid Harrington was there recently to watch how it's done.

"Cormorant fishing is an ancient custom," she explains, "and it is now a tourist attraction in some areas."

While some tourists sit mesmerized and watch the stage show from the riverside banks, other tours permit people to get right on the boats with the fishermen and the cormorants. That is where Ingrid found herself one day as she photographed the procedure, and even had herself photographed while holding two of the fishing cormorants.

The cormorants used for fishing are a species known as the great cormorant, a species widespread across Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. It is larger than the double-crested cormorant we see here in the Bay of Quinte area. In North America, the great cormorant is confined primarily to coastal areas, from southern Newfoundland to southern Nova Scotia. Like most birds, it is given to wandering, and there have been three confirmed sightings in the Quinte area, dating back to 1979, and the most recent, just four years ago, at Prince Edward Point.

Although just a rare tourist here, in China the bird is put to work with no apology. Trained when young, a band is fastened near the base of the bird's throat, allowing the bird to swallow only small fish, but retaining any larger fish. The cormorant's wings are sometimes clipped to prevent the bird from flying too far from the workplace, and a length of string is tied around one leg which can be snared by the fisherman, and the bird brought back to the boat. By gently squeezing the bird's throat, the cormorant is coaxed into disgorging the fish into the boat, and is then returned to the water repeatedly to bring in additional catches. An experienced cormorant owner can often grab the fish before the cormorant attempts to swallow. When the day's work is done, the band is removed and the bird is rewarded by being allowed to enjoy its own meal, without sharing. If it has been a good day, one good cormorant alone can feed an entire family. The birds are fed and housed by their owners, and remain there as they await their next summons.

Most commercial fishermen in China now use nets, living in modern boats and catching fish with elaborate net traps. While the traditional mode has been employed for more than 1,300 years, today it is primarily a tourist attraction. The stage show is a popular attraction during the peak tourist season, or demonstrations can be arranged for an evening's entertainment afloat. The boats are simple structures -- narrow rafts, consisting of a half dozen round bamboo trunks bound together and upturned at the stern. Standing on the raft, the fisherman uses a pole to propel himself along, his cormorants perched on his outstretched arms, and diving on command. What brings the audience back to the 21st century may be a cellphone protruding from the fisherman's pocket!

In China, the Lijiang River in Guilin is one location where serious cormorant fishing continues. It is an area that is practically the stereotype of everyone's popular image of China, with its rice paddies, water buffalos and coolie hats. Elsewhere, ancient cormorant fishing is largely a performance, both to preserve a way of life, and to provide a hands-on entertainment opportunity for visitors like Ingrid who came away with an even greater appreciation for the country and its way of life.

The classic humanitarian proverb, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime," actually has its roots in China. Ingrid is one person who believes the proverb is quite true in the country of its origin, even if it is sub-contracted out to cormorants!