Ukai, an ancient Japanese fishing method that uses birds to catch fish, has been around for 1,300 years. While the practice has become a popular tourist attraction, it has also invited controversy.

INUYAMA, Japan >> The 1,300-year-old summer tradition of ukai, or cormorant fishing, started June 1 on the Kiso River in Inuyama, Aichi prefecture. Ukai goes on day and night on the river, which runs ...

STORY: In Japan, cormorant fishing is seen as the ideal way of catching the ayu river fish, and has become a popular tourism spectacle. But fisher folk there say the changing climate is shrinking ...

Shuji Sugiyama is one of the last cormorant fishermen in Gifu. Once a common profession throughout Japan, it has been on the decline for centuries and now lives on mainly as a tourist attraction and a ...

GIFU -- Traditional cormorant fishing has begun on the Nagara River in this central Japan city, with fiery torches on boats creating a magical atmosphere for spectators. Cormorant fishing boasts a ...

* Description: Cormorants are striking, almost reptilian looking seabirds with long necks and bills. They are often seen standing on rocks with their wings held out to dry, their black feathers like ...

GIFU (JAPAN) - In the pitch black night, fires burn alongside a river in Japan's Gifu as a handful of men prepare for a ritual that dates back over 1,300 years: fishing with cormorants. Dressed in ...

In the pitch black night, fires burn alongside a river in Japan's Gifu as a handful of men prepare for a ritual that dates back over 1,300 years: fishing with cormorants. Dressed in traditional ...