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EveryFish

Fishing festivals, 11 May to 15 Oct 2027

Cormorant fishing season on the Nagara River

From 11 May to 15 October, fishing masters in Gifu work trained cormorants by firelight to catch ayu.

Cormorant fishing, ukai, has been practised on the Nagara River at Gifu for about 1,300 years. On summer nights, fishing masters in traditional dress work from wooden boats lit by burning pine, each handling a team of trained cormorants on leashes. The birds dive and catch ayu, a small sweetfish of Japanese rivers, and a ring at the base of the neck stops them swallowing the larger fish. The masters hold the title of Imperial Household fishermen. The season runs from 11 May to 15 October, with breaks for floods and the full moon.

Still to be written: Ayu sweetfish.

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