The true origins of Koi as we know them today are somewhat obscure. The general belief is that Japanese rice farmers introduced wild black Carp into the water furrows of their rice fields to add fish to their diet. The fish bred in these furrows and some colour mutations were produced. The farmers kept these more colourful specimens aside and allowed them to breed in turn producing more colour mutations. These were the forefathers of modern Koi. All of this happened as recently as 150 years ago. None of this is well documented so it is merely a plausible explanation.

By the early 1900's however, several established varieties were being produced and sold in Japan. The 1960's produced the most important factor for the distribution of Koi throughout the world. The invention of the plastic bag. This together with the availability of airfreight services allowed live fish to be safely transported in oxygen filled bags to destinations on all the continents.

Today, Koi keeping is the world's biggest hobby. A well informed Koi society member recently stated that there are 2 million Koi ponds in the UK alone. Given that most Koi keepers will buy at least 1 fish per year, the number of Koi required to supply the market is huge.

Koi are often referred to as the "King of pond fish". Their massive size, beautiful colours and patterns plus their tendency to become tame has enchanted hobbyists all over the world. They are available in almost every colour including blue, green, yellow, gold and silver. No pinks or purples yet.

People often ask why Koi are so expensive. The answer to this question lies in what is involved in producing Koi, particularly good quality Koi. In the breeding process, one female can release anything up to 100 000 or more eggs. Some 50% of these would be fertilised and subsequently hatch. During the next few weeks, various predators can significantly reduce the numbers. These include dragonfly larvae, certain tadpoles, diving beetles, and even the fry themselves as bigger fry will eat smaller fry. A minor deterioration in water quality or a parasitic outbreak could kill the whole lot in a couple of days. And as they get bigger and become more visible predator birds like herons and cormorants feast on small fry.

When the surviving fry reach about 5cms the selection process begins. At this time a decision is taken by the breeder as to which fry to keep and which to remove. Every fish has to be examined individually. Those that are kept will be examined again at about 10cms and again many will be removed.

From our own experience we have found that about 10% of our production will eventually be saleable at reasonably low prices and 1% will prove to be exceptional and worth keeping for another year. From this you can deduce that about 90% of all the fish produced have been discarded. The remaining 10% have to carry the cost of the entire spawning program.