Helpful Hints
Amazing Fishing Technique in Old China
By Tom Donovan
Helpful Hints
Amazing Fishing Technique in Old China
By Tom Donovan
An ancient Chinese Village method of fishing inspired me to share this story of unusual fishing technique with you...give it a try...hah!
First, one must get some cormorant eggs, successfully hatch them, train them and set out fishing. You will need a 2'x12' bamboo raft to float on, a long bamboo pole to move about and navigate the waters. While steering the float, a prayer and meditation of singing and dancing is done to begin to encourage the birds and the fishing gods to cooperate. The birds, that you have trained since birth, have natural instincts for fishing. So you use this to your advantage by tying a string around the cormorant's neck so he cannot swallow his catch. The dancing signals the birds to dive for fish. They grab the fish with their beaks and start to swallow, but the bird is trained to return to you to remove the fish from its mouth. The bird will catch approximately seven fish before it goes on a work strike (I'm not sure if they are unionized) and demands a reward. You give it some of the smaller undesirable fish as a reward and it's back to work.
Your fishing buddies make fun of you when you take the string off the bird's neck and it steals one of your good fish. This method of fishing was a successful way to make a living in this village until more modern techniques took over. Now it is just done to entertain the tourists.
The moral of the story is: there is more than one way to catch a fish.