In 2018, I traveled to Guilin, China, to photograph the karst limestone
landscape of southern China's Guangxi region and the cormorant
fishermen.
The cormorant fishermen's traditional fishing methods are said to date
back to 636 AD. These fishermen are best known for fishing without rods,
reels, and hooks. However, it's not their lack of equipment that makes
their technique unique; it's the bird they are named after, the
cormorant. The cormorant dives underwater, hunting fish and returning
them to their owner. Using bamboo rafts, these men move up and down
China's Li (or Lijiang) River using wooden oars and rocks for anchors.
The cormorant fishermen tie a string around the cormorant bird's neck,
preventing it from swallowing the fish.
