Cormorant Fishing

At Gifu, we went to see the 1300 year old practice of cormorant fishing. The master fishers, of which there are 6 in Gifu, own the cormorants. Each boat has a master fisher and 2 crew. They hang iron lanterns with blazing fires out the front of the boats, and the 10-12 cormorants dive for fish. The small ones, they swallow, the ones which are too big are regurgitated and collected by the master. It is fascinating to watch, and the fires make it a real spectacle.