Cormorant fishing in Yangshuo

Since many years cormorant fishing is one of the must see events in Yangshuo. This traditional form of fishing with cormorant birds is still practiced in Yangshuo.

The Majestic cormorant bird

Historically, cormorant fishing has taken place in China, Japan and in some other countries worldwide. In Europe cormorant fishing took place in the 16th to 17th centuries, mostly in England and France. Though the fishing method was similar to those used in Japan and China, the European method was developed independently and was closely related to falconry.

To control the birds, the fishermen tie a snare near the base of the bird's throat. Though this prevents the birds from swallowing larger fish, which are held in their throat, the birds are still able to swallow smaller fish. When a cormorant has caught a fish in its throat, the fisherman brings the bird back to the raft and has the bird spit the fish back up.

This kind of fishing used to be a successful and it is still practiced these days although the major reason, of course is to serve the tourism industry.

See more photos of the Yangshuo cormorant fishing. Here's a few more photos of cormorant fishing in Yangshuo

Back to the top of cormorant fishing in Yangshuo

Back to Yangshuo activities

Back to the Yangshuo Travel Guide homepage

Custom Search