Ethnozoology of the Tsou People: Fishing with poison, I  (II)  (Fishing)

Men mix the mature fruit of local poisonous plants such as Millettia taiwaniana, Croton tiglium, or Buddleja asiatica, by smashing the plants with stones. They then pour the squeezed sap into the stream. The fish in the stream become paralyzed by the poison and float to the surface. The fishermen then use a net or single-pointed fishing spear to catch the fish.

Preparation of fishing poison: At their favorite places along the stream, fishermen use stones to crush the root of the poisonous plant Millettia taiwaniana. Tfuya Village.

From Segawa's Ethnography, Courtesy of the
SMC Publishing