Still now, some people live on fishing in the Shimanto. This is the proof that there are many kinds of fishes in the Shimanto. I introduce major ways of fishing.

	Hiburi Fishing Hiburi fishing can be seen in the middle of the Shimanto in summer.At first, a fisherman decides a net location, then lights a torch andwaves it on the surface of the water. Ayu, sweetfish, hate fire and tries torun away from it, so he hits the surface with a bamboo rod and drives sweetfish into the net.
	Toami Fishing This is the fishing which a fisherman stands in front of a boat and throws a net into the river. It can be seen in the Shimanto often.The point of this fishing is that how a fisherman finds a group of sweetfish. There are some secret points which no one knows but fishermen, such as before typhoon and the flood tide, and around a sunrise and a sunset.
	Shibazuke Fishing It can be seen around the mouth of the Shimanto. A fisherman sinks a bunch of1-1.5meter long wood with leaves or bamboo grass into the river for more thana whole day. He catches shrimps and eels, which hide in the grass, with Tamo net.
	Garabiki Fishing It can be seen around the lower part of the Shimanto from April to June. Two fishermen tie shells to a rope, tug it from the upper part to the l ower part of the river, drive fish into the net which they set in advance, and catch the fish.

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It is said that 80 kinds of fishes live in the Shimanto. That is the leading amount of fishes in Japan.

	Plecoglossus Altiveils This is the fish which can live only in the clean stream as the Shimanto. It lays eggs in the bottom of the lower or middle partof the river around September to December. It is from 10-30centimeter long. Hatched fries go down to the ocean and stay allwinter eating plankton. They come back to the Shimanto the nextspring around March to May.
Macrobrachium nipponense There are uncommon kinds of macrobrachiums living in the Shimanto,especially Macrobrachium nipponense. It is 10-centimeter long and has big arms.
	Lates calcarifer One-meter long lates calcarifer is said 'the last big fish in the Shimanto.' It lives in the bottom of the lower part of the river. The characteristics of it are that it has big scale, which is hard to come off, and eyes, which flash red.
References The History of Nishitosa Village The History of Nakamura City Tosa's Fishing Boat Folkway Magazine; Masao Sakamoto; Wada Books The Story of the Shimanto; Yoshinaga Sawada; Iwatani Book Store

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last update:august 1, 1996/(C)Kochi Pref.