Climate change threatens Japan's cormorant fishing tradition

The Nagara River passes through the cities of Gifu and Seki in central Japan — two sites where traditional cormorant fishing is still being practiced. Youichiro Adachi, seen here in traditional dress with one of his trained birds, is an 18th-generation cormorant fishing master. He is one of some 50 remaining individuals who still carry on this 1,300-year-old legacy.

"For me, cormorants are my partners," Adachi told the Reuters news agency. As a child, he would cry whenever one of the family's birds died. Today, the 48-year-old regularly monitors his birds' health and strokes their long necks to maintain a close physical bond. The fishing method, known as ukai, was once widespread throughout Japan. Today, it's mostly a tourist attraction.

Cormorant fishing is seen at the ideal technique for catching the slender ayu river fish. A bright fire on the fishing boat wakes the fish and provides enough light for the fishers to see. The birds wear a leash and a collar around their neck to prevent them from swallowing all the fish they catch. Back on board, the fishing master, or usho, release the fish into buckets.

The cormorant fishing legacy is now largely supported by tourism. Tourists can watch a cormorant fishing master at work from a viewing boat. But the effects of climate change have been leaving their mark in the centuries-old trade. As the habitats of the ayu river fish shrink, the fish are becoming smaller and more scarce.

Adachi believes traditional fishing methods and river fish populations are endangered. Heavy rainfall and floods have required the construction of flood barriers. This leads to smaller rocks and sand filling the river bottom, obstructing the larger rocks that form the ayu's habitat.

Environmental studies have confirmed Adachi's concerns. Temperatures in the Nagara River have soared to a high of 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), as Morihiro Harada, a professor at Gifu University, explained. That has delaying the spawning period. Not only that: ayu fish like to eat the algae that grows on larger rocks, but anti-flood measures have made these boulders less common.

Environmental changes have also had a negative impact on tourism, with rough waters discouraging tourists from venturing out in boats. "We wanted to offer a more refined, higher-quality experience," said Yusuke Kaba, head of the Japanese economic development association known as ORGAN.

Facing an uncertain future, Adachi takes the time to honor the past and tend to the present. In his generational home, he prays before the shrine dedicated to his ancestors. He wanted his 22-year-old son, Toichiro, to become the 19th generation of his family to work as an usho. But, he said, "if we cannot catch fish anymore, our motivation is gone and there's no meaning in what we do."