A dying Japanese tradition is getting a second chance.

Viewing the ancient art of cormorant fishing from a pleasure boat is the highlight of a trip to Iwakuni in western Japan.

In cormorant fishing, birds are trained to catch and release fish into a basket.

The technique goes back a millennium, but the business in Iwakuni ran into financial difficulties.

Due to a drop in customers, boatmen stopped going out on the water in 2007.

Now people are gathering again to watch practitioners of the craft.

The solution was for the city of Iwakuni to take over the business.

Hideaki Nakamura is 80 years old. He’s fished with cormorants for about half a century.

He says he’s relieved, and that he worried about his old age.

But that’s not all that’s making him happy.

His granddaughter Yuki has decided to follow him into the trade.

She says she gave it a try without thinking seriously about it, but fell in love with cormorant fishing.

Nakumura says it can’t happen soon enough.

He says if things go well Yuki will debut next month.

Only locals are in the audience tonight.

But Nakamura says he wants as many people as possible to enjoy the spectacle, so they’re lowering the price of tickets.

At least for now, an ancient skill will continue to be part of river life in Iwakuni, Japan.