Japanese Fishing With Cormorants

[Weedy1]

Japanese Fishing with Cormorants

 

I wonder if this would be legal in Alberta? What do you think?

 

 

http://phototravels.net/japan/ukai-cormorant-fishing.html

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-qZ-tTY6x4

[DutchDryfly]

I don't think you want cormorants in Alberta. As a result of overfishing the Nort Sea, they are now swarming across Europe to the extend that no trout stream is fishable anymore. Grayling and trout disappear as cormorants tend to hunt in flocks. If you have never seen it you are in for a surprise.

As a native bird, cormorants are protected overhere, which does not agree with a lot of fishermen.

On the other hand, we pilliged the sea and as a result the cormorants have to find food elsewhere.

[yodatrout]

Unreal, I wonder how they get the fish from the bird after it's been caught...?

[DutchDryfly]

The birds usually have a ring around their neck, which prevents the bird from swollowing.

[Weedy1]

Dutch, we do have cormorants. They are called a Double-Crested Cormorant. As far as I know they have only been a problem in a few lakes. Black Nugget lake in central Alberta was apparantly cleaned our a few years back by the cormorants. There is a fellow with a "pay to fish" pond next to Black Nugget that told me he shoots quite a few of them a year.

[DutchDryfly]

A few years back British scientist found that cormorant either hunt salt water or fresh water. I think you got the freshwater species.

Not to bad as long as there are not to many.

 

We now have the problem that the saltwater species is also hunting in the fresh water.

The salt water species is used to hunt in groups, so imagine a group of birds swimming 30 cm apart over the whole width of a stream picking up everything that swims.

With the rockies between you and the salt it will not be a natural occurence, but watch for the "bucket" brigade or how ever you want to call it.