Cormorants used in traditional fishing in China and Japan are working animals whose welfare depends on the care and handling practices of their keepers.
Working cormorants experience the physical demands of intensive diving and the frustration of being prevented from consuming fish they catch. The welfare of cormorant fishing birds varies dramatically based on keeper practices, with well-maintained birds living long healthy lives and poorly kept birds suffering from nutritional deficiency and overwork. Traditional cormorant fishing is declining rapidly.