The Catching and Eating of Inland Fish in the Nagara River Basin

The purpose of this paper is to examine how people catch and eat inland fishes, and in particular how the process is related to the physical and human environments.<br> In the Nagara river basin, which was selected as the study area, the natural environment has been well conserved and fishing has been continually practiced. The main data, on fishing condi-tions and the consumption of inland fish in the early 1900s, when the habit was seen more actively, were obtained through interviews.<br> The results of this study are summarized as follows: the Nagara river basin can be divided into eight regions on the basis of distribution of fish and river conditions: upper stream region, upper main river region, upper tributaries region, middle main river region, middle tributaries region, lower main river region, lower tributaries region, and brackish region.<br> The habit of fishing and eating fish differs from region to region with the methods of fishing and the taste of various fish.<br> Inland fishing was restricted by several conditions. 1) As the main occupation in this area is farming, there is not enough time for fishing. 2) Fishing implements are expensive and difficult for people to make by themselves. 3) Inland fishing had been thought evil, and fishermen were regarded as lower class people. In consequence of these restrictions, professional fishermen were in the minority, and fishing was not carried out actively.<br> The taste of fish and the convenience of cooking also have a remarkable influence on fishing and eating habits.<br> Fishing and eating of inland fish flourishes only in the upstream region, because fish in this region can be caught easily and their taste is good. In the upper tributaries and middle stream region, there are not so many fish and fishing is done only in summer, so it is not so prosperous. In the lower tributaries region, even though fish are abundant and fishing is easy, it is not done extensively, because the fish are not so tasty. In the main river regions upper, middle and lower there are a number of fish, but it is difficult to catch them. So professionals fish mainly certain kinds of fish such as sweet fish, trout, or gill, whose market value is high. In brackish regions, marine fishery is popular, and inland fishing is a subsidiary business.<br> The relationship between humans and inland fish through the habit of fishing and eating is in-fluenced by ecological, social, economic and cultural conditions. In the study area, the habit is not always active except in the upper stream region because of the quantity and taste of fish and the difficulty of catching them.<br> In conclusion, the catching and eating of inland fish has a stronger relation with economic values than with taste and fishing technology.