Duck Feeds Carp

It would appear as though some birds and fish have learned to live together in perfect harmony.

via Reddit

Fish A Japanese Obsession

I found this amazing documentary on YouTube about the Japanese obsession with fish. From start to finish it is very fun, tongue in cheek, and culturally informative. I had a great time watching it and dreaming of visiting and fishing all these places, but I couldn’t help but notice they left out Japanese bass fishing!

You don’t have to watch all nine parts if you don’t want to, but I put some descriptions and quotes in so you can get right to what sounds most interesting to you. However if you do, and I hope you do, watch the whole thing I guarantee you will learn some amazing things about Japan.

Part 1 of 9 : Here we meet the host and his team of local Japanese people that will help him through out his journey. Most of all we meet Aki, his guide. The first Japanese fishing experience is a restaurant with an interesting twice. There you can fish a pond in the middle of the restaurant and have your catch for dinner. The next day they head to to the Tsukiji fish market in search of Bluefin Tuna.

In the west we try to get as far away as possible from the idea that our pray was once alive. And in Japan they celebrate it.

Continue reading “Fish A Japanese Obsession”…

Blue Koi

This unique blue koi can be found in the pond below Maruoka Castle in Japan.

Check out this other blue koi on flickr.
via Moldy Chum

Huge Carp Tattoo

This massive carp tattoo is a work in process done at Zeal Tattoo.

Be sure to check out Scandinavian Trolling (English translation here) for updates on the tattoo.

via OFNC

Former World Record Koi

I haven’t been able to find a photo of the current record koi, if you can, let us know!

Former world record Koi 20lbs 8oz

Random Koi Facts

• There are more then 20 varieties of koi.

• Koi have been accidentally or deliberately released into the wild in every continent except Antarctica.

• Koi can live to be 30 years old. They can reach lengths in excess of 1m and at this length will weigh up to 12 kg. Bigger Koi are rare but not unknown especially in Japan.

• Koi are directly related to carp – they are the same species. Koi are selectively bred carp from a natural anomaly first discovered and developed in Japan, from where all things Koi emanate. The Japanese are the best breeders of Koi in the world by a substantial margin.

• In Japan, you can take classes to become a koi master.

More facts about koi found at Happy Koi.

Fish Robotics

Newlaunches.com has created a list of the Top 5 Robots of 2006, naming Mitsubishi’s robotic fish as number two. Mounted with a CCD camera, these aquatic robotic creatures will be used in the future to help us uncover the secrets below the surface of the worlds oceans.

“The robot is modeled after a Nishiki koi carp as a form of tribute to Hiroshima Castle (whose nickname Ri-jo means Koi Castle). The 80-cm (31-inch), 12-kg (26-pound) fish has a white body with bright red spots. Though the tail movement is very smooth and lifelike, the remote-controlled koi is capable of moves that a genuine koi is unable to perform, such as swimming in reverse and rotating in place.”

via Pink Tentacle

While impressive, this is not the first time we have seen robotic fish. The London Aquarium featured autonomous robot fish over a year ago as one of their technology exhibits.

If you like robtic fish, check out the videos on YouTube.