Koi Carp Farming And Tradition | Does Japan Produce The Best Koi Fish?
Does Japan Produce The Best Koi?
This debate is an ongoing saga that to be honest is totally irrelevant to the vast majority of pond owners and hobbyist Koi keepers.
To the average pond keeper, the origin of the Koi in their pond doesn’t matter. They couldn’t care less if the Koi are from Japan, Taiwan, USA or England.
As long as the Koi are healthy and give us pleasure, we don’t care!
Now the serious breeder and Koi aficionado will care. To these people only the best will do and they firmly believe that the best Koi carp, originate in Japan.
The cost of top class Koi fish from Japan is more expensive than the equivalent varieties from other countries. This will of course only continue to perpetuate the belief that these Koi are more exclusive and superior in some way.
I know what you are thinking! Surely there must be exceptions to this rule. The truth is there are.
On average the quality of Koi bred in Japan is superior to anywhere else, but this isn’t a guarantee and I wouldn’t just accept the fact.
Rather than focusing on where your Koi originated from you would be better served concentrating upon more important factors such as: health, vitality and aesthetic appeal.
What Factors Determine The Quality Of A Koi?
All in all it comes down to one simple thing: Genetics i.e. the genes it has inherited from its parents.
Take a wild carp for example! It is dull in appearance and lacks the color of a Koi carp. As hard as it is to believe, your Koi are only a couple of generations away from being like their dull, wild cousins.
The genetic makeup with regard to a Koi’s coloring is extremely unstable. That is why Koi fish breeders devote endless time and effort in protecting and enhancing the desirable genes of their Koi stock.
This is achieved by cross breeding closely related fish so as to enhance the occurrence of the desirable, recessive traits.
The aim of the breeder is to produce a breed of Koi with identifiable characteristics. In doing so, the Koi breeder will often make their mark in the Koi breeding world. This trademark, achieved with hard work and dedication is the aim of many top Koi breeders.
Many of the top varieties of Koi carp, including Go Sanke, have been kept within the family and passed from father to son, through the generations.
With this level of dedication, expertise and Koi breeding skill it is easy to see why many countries struggle to compete with Japan, when it comes to producing the very best Koi fish.
However, even though the cream of the crop Koi carp originate in Japan, we mustn’t forget that some Japanese Koi, also possess unwanted genes that result in very average Koi.
Anyone intending to get into breeding Koi for a living should seriously question their new career choice. The road to breeding prize winning Koi fish is a long one, paved with many pitfalls along the way. It is for this reason that the USA and UK come a poor second to Japanese Koi farmers, on average.
Whilst the USA, UK and Israel produce some excellent quality Koi carp, they are usually the less complex varieties such as Ogons and Shusui. The exceptionally complex variety of Go Sanke, in the vast majority of instances emanate from Japanese farms.
The process of breeding economically viable Koi can be an expensive one. That is why many UK Koi farmers and Israeli Koi breeders choose to concentrate on breeding a mixed range of Koi, instead of concentrating upon a specific variety.
What Factors Should I Consider Before I Buy Koi Carp Fish?
- Acclimatization – Believe it or not, Koi originating from warmer climates such as Japan and Israel need to become accustomed to the cooler pond temperatures experienced in many UK and northern USA ponds. This period of acclimatization may cause a level of distress to start with.
- Transportation – Moving Koi from their native Japan and Israel to their new home in Europe or the USA causes significant stress to the poor creatures. That is why top dealers will often allow a period of rest and acclimatization, before selling them on.
- Disease - There has been confirmed occurrences of the KHV virus in Israel along with evidence to suggest that the KHD virus is in Japan. Fortunately, the UK has only a few recorded incidences of the KHV virus. You should speak about these concerns to your dealer, prior to purchasing Koi fish.
- The Real Deal – It is now feasible to buy Koi from Japan, complete with information relating to their origins, their lineage and the name of the breeder. In this way you can check up on the reputation of the breeder, to see if they have a proven pedigree in producing world class Koi carp. This type of information is harder to come by for Koi from Israel and other countries.
A cautionary note for the average Koi keeper! Before purchasing your new Koi take a quick look at its merits, rather than its origin.
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