People here still put papyrus to good use. The design of these boats has changed little since ancient times. Tana has become a vast mountain reservoir for the Blue Nile. The dissolved volcanic soil has enriched the lake. It's good fishing for people and animals. It's thought that the Ancient Egyptians heard rumours of this lake, but they never realised the critical role it played in their lives. Every day pelicans gather near the lakeshore in response to especially dense concentrations of fish. But sometimes the fishing is easy. The pelicans aren't fussy about where their food comes from. Fishermen's offcuts do just fine as Lake Tana's pelicans have learned.


这里的居民仍然懂得善用纸莎草。这些草船的设计自古以来就没怎么变化过。塔纳湖成了青尼罗河巨大的山区蓄水库。溶于水中的火山土丰富了湖中生态，使它成为人类和动物的最佳渔场。据说古埃及人曾经听到过有关塔纳湖的传言，但他们却从未能认识到它在他们生活中扮演的重要角色。鹈鹕每天都会为了密集的鱼群聚集到湖岸附近。有时渔获来得相当容易。 鹈鹕并不挑剔食物的来源，渔夫抛弃的下脚料也没什么不好，这是塔纳湖鹈鹕的经验谈。