Below are a few images from the 2009 ZNA show which ended yesterday. The ZNA is an international koi hobbyist organization which was founded in Japan but now has chapters all over the world, including one in Portland, Oregon. Enjoy the pictures.
Yearly Archives: 2009
Japan 2009: Niigata – Agritourism and Koi Kichi
I’m in Japan again to continue learning about the Japanese Koi industry. I’m currently in Niigata, generally considered to be the birthplace of Nishikigoi (koi) keeping and production. What began as rice framers rearing carp as an additional food source in small rural villages has evolved into a major industry that rivals rice production and brings hobbyists and dealers from all over the world to this mountainous area of Japan. This is now an industry that really caters to the international markets. I’ve read that 80% of the koi produced in this area are exported out of Japan. Further a thriving sub-industry has developed catering to the international koi dealers and their customers, the koi Kichi (Koi crazy), that travel to this area every year to view and purchase nishikigoi, a unique example of agritourism. Below are a few images that illustrate the extent to which nishikigoi have become part of the landscape here in Ojiya city and the surrounding countryside especially as the local breeders and the small communities have developed an infrastructure to cater to the visiting koi kichi.
The Oyster Cloyster – Annual fundraising event for the Aquarium Science Program
The Oyster Cloyster, the annual fundraising event for the Aquarium Science Program at Oregon Coast Community College occurs Saturday November 7th, 2009 at the Oregon Coast Aquarium.
If you are in the Pacific Northwest this is a great evening event. Plan to spend the weekend. Spend the day Saturday at the Hatfield Marine Science Center – Visitor Center (HMSC-VC) and the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Then return to the Oregon Coast Aquarium for an evening of oysters prepared by our PNW chefs, desserts, wine, various musical entertainments and a chance to view the aquarium at night.
For those that wish to stay overnight in Newport I will offer a tour of our newly remodeled Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory at the Hatfield Marine Science Center Sunday morning at 1030. This is the primary teaching laboratory for the Ornamental Fish Health Program. This facility is where we offer many of our industry oriented training programs as well as programs for our aquarium Scienece students, veterinary students and veterinarians. Please meet me at the Front entrance to the HMSC – VC at 1030.
If you are interested in the Sunday tour please email me by Thursday 11/5 at tim.miller-morgan@oregonstate.edu so that I can get a rough head count. Please put Post Oyster Cloyster Tour in the subject line.
Hope to see you there. It’s a fun event and supports a great cause, training future aquarists from the ornamental fish industry, public aquaria, aquatic research laboratories and resource hatcheries.
Sustainable Aquarium Keeping: A Recent article about green aquaria from Slate.com
See the recent post by Nina Shen Rastogi at http://www.slate.com/id/2221024/.
Some other important points that I would also emphasize:
- Learn as much as you can about the particular fish species and their needs in captivity before they are purchased. This research might lead one to decide that a particular fish is not the right species for them to maintain in an aquarium.
- Focus on purchasing healthy fish in the first place. Learn the general signs that indicate a healthy fish as well as a sick fish ( I’ll discuss these in future posts).
- Find a trusted fish supplier that is genuinely concerned about selling healthy fish and educating his or her customers about maintaining healthy fish.
- Seriously consider utilizing a quarantine for all new arrivals before they are added to holding or display tanks (more about this later).
We can all do our part by keeping our fish as healthy as possible. We do this by understanding the needs of the animals in our care, demanding healthy well handled fish from our supplier and by practicing excellent health management while these animals are in our care. These are a few of the small, but important, ways we can work to preserve the wild resources by striving to keep the animals in our care healthy and long-lived.
Can this be a truly green/sustainable industry/hobby? If so, what do you think that would look like in 20 years?
Comments and criticisms?
Dr. Craig Adams, MS, DVM discusses fish surgery
From AVMA, AquaVetMed an interview with one of our local, Pacific Northwest Fish Veterinarians:
As the field of aquatic veterinary medicine expands, so do the medical options available for fish. One of these options is surgery.
As fish become more popular as pets, the demand for veterinarians to look after their health also increases. Whether you’ve got a guppie or a koi, any fish owner who develops a strong bond with their fish wants access to the best health care they can find. As the field of aquatic veterinary medicine expands, so do the medical options available for sick or injured fish. One of these options, explains Dr. Craig Adams, a mixed-animal veterinarian and owner of Aquatic Veterinary Services in western Washington, is surgery.
Aquatic Veterinary Medicine Sessions, Seattle – American Veterinary Medical Association Annual Meeting
In less than 4 weeks the AVMA Annual Convention will occur in Seattle, WA, July, 11-14, 2009. We have assembled 4 days of training seminars for veterinarians and veterinary technicians with an interest in pet fish and commercial production of shellfish. Click here for a schedule of the sessions we will offer. Further, the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association will hold its Annual General Meeting and two days of clinical presentations related to symptomatology, diagnosis and treatment of common aquatic maladies.
I hope to see you there.
We’ve moved!
Words From A Wet Vet, along with Sea Grant’s other blogs and podcasts, has made the virtual move across campus to blogs.oregonstate.edu, the new WordPress blogging community for Oregon State University departments, faculty and students. You’ll still be able to find all our archived posts at the new location.
Please bookmark our new address: http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/wetvet
If you subscribe to the blog via FeedBurner, you won’t need to do a thing – the feed will automatically bring you updates from the new location, whether you subscribe via a feed reader or by e-mail.
For more information about Oregon Sea Grant’s growing number of marine science blogs and podcasts, visit our Web site.
Aquatic Invasive Species and the Ornamental Fish Industry
Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) are a growing global concern. The ornamental fish industry is certainly coming under increased scrutiny as it is involved with the international movement of thousand of aquatic species.
In an effort to educate industry members Ornamental Fish International (OFI) has organized an Invasive Alien Species Conference at the 2009 Aquarama Trade Show in Singapore, May 30, 2009.
OFI has also posted some articles from the OFI Journal that provide some industry perspective on this issue.
The ornamental industry is just one of many industries that will be impacted by this emerging issue which posses significant threats to ecosystem health, human health and economic health on a local, national and global scale.
Oregon Extension Sea Grant has been heavily involved in AIS outreach for a number of years primarily through Sam Chan our Aquatic Ecosystem Health Educator. If you would like to learn more about AIS, particularly in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, visit Sam Chan’s web site. Through his site you can also link to many other sources of information regarding this important topic.