This study focuses on Nakaumi in the period from immediately after World War II to the mid-1960s, before state-operated reclamation and desalination projects became full-scale. By analyzing the fishing activities in shallow waters, and the folk knowledge behind them, this paper elucidates the environmental understanding of fishermen and its distinguishing characteristics. The principal informant was a man who engaged in fishing as an occupation in Nakaumi for many years, primarily gill netting, hand trawling, and dredging. Additional interviews regarding traditional fishing activities in Nakaumi were conducted with other fishermen of this type. Tidal movements have almost no effect on fishing activities in Nakaumi because the environment is that of inland/shallow water, which is more tranquil than other waters. Geographical conditions such as wind, weather, and the brackish nature of the waters between Lake Shinji and the outer sea have a greater impact on fishing activities. Fishermen change their fishing grounds and fishery methods according to the seasonal movement because of changes in salt concentration due to the influx of seawater from the Sakai Channel and freshwater from Lake Shinji and the coastal river. Changes in water temperature also have an impact on the seasonal movement of fish. Fishermen recognize when and where species live and feed in the water. They have thus built up folk knowledge combining information on the natural environment specific to Nakaumi and the modes of life of the target fish and use this knowledge to carry out their fishing activities. In Nakaumi, there are large expanses of waters with shoals, and since the lake bottom has a monotonous topography, which at a glance seems to have no large undulations, the fishermen are also very familiar with the bottom condition, such as slight inclines and the position of reefs. This is crucial information during actual fishing. In addition, it was found that Nakaumi fishermen have mastered triangulation techniques such as "yama-toji" and "mito-oshi" for selecting grounds. As indicated above, fishermen independently understand the natural environment of Nakaumi as a stage of their daily lives and have built a unique view of the environment and a system of folk knowledge. However, at present, traditional fishing practices and folk knowledge are being lost due to the lack of successors and the reduction in fishing resources attributable to changes in the natural environment of Nakaumi brought on by reclamation and desalination projects. Therefore, there is an urgent need to preserve and record traditional fishing culture in local areas such as this.
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