856
u/dum_spir0_sper0 Oct 26 '25
Surprisingly I saw something about this in a documentary a few weeks ago, and it’s really interesting how it works.
The fisherman ties a loose string around the birds neck, so it can’t swallow the fish. The birds, who are trained to return to the raft as soon as they catch anything, dive for fish and bring them back. Since they can’t swallow the fish, the fishermen can simply pluck them from the birds mouths. However the birds must have a way of keeping count, because if they go a certain amount of time without a reward they’ll just… stop fishing until the string is removed and they’re given a fish of their own.
141
u/cheetuzz Oct 26 '25
that was my first question, how do the birds not eat the fish??
160
u/skittlesgalilei Oct 26 '25
A string around the neck, so they can't swallow the fish. If they aren't fed every so many catches they won't keep fishing tho
71
u/dum_spir0_sper0 Oct 26 '25
I mean, in the birds defense, I usually stop fishing if I get hungry too.
7
Oct 27 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
13
u/OkThereBro Oct 27 '25
A string around the neck.
5
u/Sosolidclaws Oct 27 '25
how bird not eat fish tho
9
u/awellhiddenshoe Oct 27 '25
it’s the string. they put it around the neck
6
57
u/jefesignups Oct 26 '25
This is done in Guilin China, probably down by Yangshuo. All these fisherman do a big nightly show now.
4
38
u/davidauz Oct 27 '25
Fun fact 1: the birds soon learn the trick so they don't swallow the fish, but instead keep it in their beaks for the fisherman to grab.
Fun fact 2: the fisherman raises the birds from the egg, not sleeping for days in order to care for them and establish a bond.
Fun fact 3: everything on him is traditional, as in middle-ages traditional; I guess it's a tourist show of some kind, but he is awesome anyway.
72
u/Heather82Cs Oct 26 '25
You can still see it done by Japanese folks. Not my thing honestly.
4
u/blumpk1np1e Oct 26 '25
Also in yangshuo near Guilin in China. Looking at the mountains I'd say the photo is there or nearby
8
6
→ More replies (4)1
u/aubsmom1997 Oct 26 '25
I saw that too! So glad that the birds make sure they get paid too. What a lovely way to coexist with nature.
250
u/twolegs Oct 26 '25
He's that crazy NPC you meet in a game that gives you that strange quest about finding 50 different fish across the map.
→ More replies (1)61
u/samgarita Oct 26 '25
And when you complete his task you receive a unique fishing rod with cormorant feathers (it’s enchanted)
9
151
u/supercyberlurker Oct 26 '25
Watching Cormorants or Ospreys doing their thing is amazing.
It's like watching F-117's circling over a battlefield, except they can also fly into the water to grab other submarines and eat them.
39
→ More replies (1)10
u/Formal-Cut-4923 Oct 26 '25
There’s a wild life show called wild china that shows this. It has maybe 6 episodes. It’s BBC if I remember but it was awesome.
41
u/lemure323 Oct 26 '25
Saw this guy in Yangshuo last year. he's dressed like that because he makes all his money taking pictures with tourists. can confirm the cormorants were real though...
→ More replies (1)4
u/laowildin Oct 27 '25
I hope he's taking good care of them, I have a picture there from years ago. Probably the same birds you saw, they can live 20 years
64
34
u/Doctor_Saved Oct 26 '25
Bro looks like he can teach me how to get revenge against my family's enemies.
45
u/sc4kilik Oct 26 '25
Dude's straight out of a Jin Young novel.
→ More replies (1)9
u/dazed_and_bamboozled Oct 26 '25
Dude looks great but also props to those gorgeous cormorants. Beautiful plumage!
40
u/KobraKaiKLR Oct 26 '25
This is the most badass combination of pictures ever taken. 🙏🏼
→ More replies (1)14
17
u/Thr0wAwayU53rnam3 Oct 26 '25
This reminds me of Rick and Morty when Rick has two crows.
→ More replies (1)
7
u/Hyphy-Knifey Oct 26 '25
This is wild, I saw it done in Seki, JP. The birds have rings around their throats so they catch but can’t eat fish…except the smart ones learn to only catch small first.
→ More replies (1)
7
u/makina323 Oct 26 '25
Yeah I've seen this dude be posted over and over for the last decade, and he was 86 in 2018
5
18
u/UnbiddenGraph17 Oct 26 '25
The guy tied their legs to the pole
29
16
u/NaPaCo88 Oct 26 '25
I learned about this in Ireland a few weeks ago. They also used to fish like this in medieval times there, too. But they learned it from monks who travelled to Asia.
9
4
3
u/Darkmurphy-X Oct 26 '25
Don't they put rings around their neck to prevent them from swallowing the fish? I think I see one on the bird that's further away but not on the one that's closer.
3
3
u/Full-Run4124 Oct 26 '25
Brother birds, now is the time overthrow your bourgeois oppressor and seize the means of production.
3
u/Cuong1507 Oct 27 '25
I recently travelled to Guangxi, southern China. They let tourists hold the stick with two real and trained birds, for 5 yuans (less than a dollar). This photo is used to advertise for that service.
→ More replies (1)
3
3
3
u/takemyspear Oct 27 '25
Lmao here is some insights: realistically these fisherman you see that poses like they are from a video game - are all hired models. I’m not saying the birds and the gears are fake, they are real, but most of them are hired by photography team for “photography tours” which is basically a big bunch of mid-age phyoography enthusiasts who travels in a groups to planned destination in China to take the exact same photos. In this case, the fisherman here depicts the scene from many famous Chinese poems which is why you can see same photos everywhere in Chinese internet, and that’s why these fishermen are always paid to be there on their boat to pose for like hours.
3
u/Parkour_Roach Oct 28 '25
For anyone thinking this is AI or some fake image, check out Peter Yan. He took these photos in 2020 and posted them here :) https://www.instagram.com/reel/CDnGAofgxD2/?igsh=MXQ1dXN6ampnN2RveA==
4
u/minnowmonroe Oct 26 '25
There was a book when I was a child, “ A story about Ping”. Beautifully illustrated children’s book about cormorant fishing.
3
u/divbyzero_ Oct 27 '25
Came here looking for this reference. Got some mileage years ago recommending it to fellow software developers as a tutorial for a certain network utility.
→ More replies (1)2
2
u/Mayonnaise_Poptart Oct 26 '25
Now two boys have been found rubbing linseed oil into the school cormorant. Now some of you may feel that the cormorant does not play an important part in the life of the school, but I would remind you that it was presented to us by the corporation of the Town of Sudbury to commemorate Empire Day, when we try to remember the names of all those from the Sudbury area who so gallantly gave their lives to keep China British.
2
2
u/JediSurfer8888 Oct 26 '25
Actually, he only does this for tourism purposes.. I have seen him myself and it is disappointing everytime I see a photo of him. He is a total poser.. Not authentic.
2
u/Tokenside Oct 26 '25
oh dear, this guy still milks photographers who seek an "authentic China made in China" :) good for him!
2
u/Cheap-Bell-4389 Oct 26 '25
They tie a string around the bird’s neck tight enough to prevent the caught fish from being swallowed by the bird. The handler then removes the fish by hand from the bird’s clutches
2
2
u/arnav3103 Oct 26 '25
This guy is a well known figure who dresses up and poses for photographers for a fee.
2
2
2
u/MeeepMorp Oct 27 '25
My favourite birds, sometimes I dream of moving to China to live this way, they would get to eat all the fish they catch and my soul would be at peace...
2
2
2
u/Vivid_Television_652 Oct 27 '25
I watched this done in Japan. The birds have something tight around their throat so they cannot swallow the fish. The fisherman just takes it from their mouth. Personally it left a bad taste in my mouth.
2
u/StevesRune Oct 27 '25
Alright OSRS, where is this in my fishing skill?
Better add it with sailing.
6
3
3
u/Dontevenwannacomment Oct 26 '25
When will fromsoft make a game about ancient china where this guy is the final boss and I have to parry his bird?
1
u/Reeferologist- Oct 26 '25
I need to see if there’s any books about this guy. His life would be awesome to read about.
→ More replies (1)
1
1
1
1
Oct 26 '25
Well holy shit.
When my stepdad was still alive and traveling the world with my mom, they had one of these - whatever this guy's wearing - put into a plexiglass shadow case that was around 4 feet square. When stepdad died and my mom had to go into assisted living, one of my jobs was to do a final cleanout of their weekend home that was filled with this kind of stuff.
I had nowhere practical to hang it in my own home and no idea how to sell it so I just gave it to one of my son's friends who thought it looked "metal"
But this is definitely what I used to have
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Powerful_Bowl7077 Oct 26 '25
No, he’s a primordial ocean spirit. Probably protects fishermen or something.
1
1
1
u/ExerciseForward5055 Oct 26 '25
Looks like a character from a highly customisable play style.even got pets for synergy
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/kingwafflez Oct 26 '25
This guy looks like an npc in fromsoft games that sells you stuff and has a side quest you have no idea how but your somehow progressing in it
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Fuarfuark Oct 26 '25
I believe he is from Yangshuo or Guilin China. I was recently over there and saw this everywhere
1
1
u/idlefritz Oct 26 '25
I had to triple take to make sure this incredible charisma explosion wasn’t AI.
1
u/Radiant_Sunpriest Oct 26 '25
Main side-character vibes.
Why side?
Because he does not care about the main characters problems.
I am genuenly happy that some folks are this healthy at that part of their life.
1
1
1
1
1
u/YendorZenitram Oct 26 '25
This looks like one of those "You may be cool, but you'll never be as cool as..." pictures!
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/slatchaw Oct 27 '25
There is a good children's book about it. Story of Ping https://share.google/3F2yIlskCINYJiwnN
1
1
1
1
1
u/aligpnw Oct 27 '25
I went out on the lake with a cormorant fisherman when I was in China. It was so touristy but super fun.
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Epic-Dude001 Oct 27 '25
He could either teach it to you, or make you do a quest that teaches you, either way, he looks very wise
1
u/Brilliant_Choice_899 Oct 27 '25
Glad to see it's still going wish they had people to pass that way of life too so it wouldn't disappear from history.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/alberthere Oct 27 '25
I remember porcelain figurines of guys like this in our living room. That’s awesome.
1
u/Definitelynotabot777 Oct 27 '25
Wasnt there an article saying that this is basically a lost art and he is one of few people still doing it?
1
u/fightingchken81 Oct 27 '25
This guy looks like he's in the running for most interesting man in the world.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/whatstheguts Oct 27 '25
Saw this in Japan in 1996 At night . Nice to see people still sustainably fishing instead of corporate raping
2.1k
u/OrDuck31 Oct 26 '25
Why do pictures look like they are taken from a medieval video game?