For hundreds of years Chinese fishermen have been using hand-reared cormorants to hunt for their supper.

The birds, which are considered a pest by some anglers in Britain, swim deep underwater searching for a meal.

They are fitted with a ring around their neck before they dive to prevent them from swallowing their catch.

This means that when they do resurface, they will regurgitate the fish before returning to hunt again.

When the fisherman's bags are full, the ring is removed and the cormorant rewarded with a meal.

Some anglers handle more than ten birds at a time using various calls and the tradition has a large following in Xitang Town, Zhejiang Province, south-east China.

The dark, sleek cormorants are easily recognisable as they tend to stand with their wings outstretched after diving, possibly to dry themselves.