Cormorant Fishing

I have only read about Cormorant Fishing from my Chinese literature class in high school. Now this time during the middle of the boat cruise, we got to see it.

Cormorant

For thousands of years, people southern China have used cormorants to fish for them in the rivers and lakes

A choker is put on their neck so that they can't swallow the big fish. The cormorants are fed with small fish so to keep them hungry.

The fishermen take the birds out on a bamboo raft, using a bamboo pole as a punt. The raft is fitted with two kerosene lamps which attract the fish and the cormorants go to work, swimming under the water ahead of the raft searching for fish. When a fish is caught, the cormorant surfaces and jumps aboard. The fisherman then grabs the cormorant by the neck and removes the fish from its gullet and the cormorant goes back to search for another fish.