The Fish Wrap: December 2006
From The Koi Club of the Air
| Southern Arizona Koi Show & the 2007 AKCA Seminar |  |
Tom Ayers shared with listeners an update on the preparations for the June 2007 AKCA Seminar jointly hosted by the Southern Arizona Koi Club and Valley of the Sun Koi Club. Ayers and Robbie Venditti are co-chairpersons for this coming year’s event. The hotel arrangements have been made and most of the speakers are lined up. “It should be a very koi-ish seminar,” Ayers said. There will be pro-baseball on Friday night, Grand Canyon tours available on Wednesday and Thursday, the traditional KHA wet lab, a Phoenix City tour, and a myriad of other activities for attendees. With the Grand Canyon tours available on Wednesday all that fun won’t get in the way of attending the wet lab and workshops. Having two clubs host the seminar has plenty of advantages. “What we are trying to do is spread out our resources,” Ayers said. “Both clubs have specialties among them. Also we figured that in this way no one club would have to drain its total resources to put on the seminar.”
Plus, there was talk of the Southern Arizona Koi Club’s 27th Annual Koi Show held on Nov. 11-12. Ayers shared details of the over 30 year history of SAKC noting they following in the path of the Orange County Club. Their first show was at the Tucson Convention Center. Since then the Southern Arizona Koi Club has held their increasingly historic show at numerous locations including parks, hotels, a swap meet, and Kino Sports Center, which is also the home for spring ball in Tucson. These days the club sets up in a park next door to Kino and typically expects 1500 to 2000 visitors.
Between 25-30 tanks was the projected need this year. Prior to benching Ayers and other members of the club set out on a mission as the Soggy Catchers. This group of koi wranglers makes house calls. Every year they head to the member’s ponds that request them and help catch and bag the fish for transport to the show event. Prepared with everything they might need including an oxygen tank, bags, and other supplies the Soggy Catchers are right on target with their effort. They relieve much of the stress that some show participants would otherwise have, further the cause of healthy handling, and doubtlessly facilitate the showing of more koi.
Along with Southern Arizona Koi Club’s interesting history it the tenure and accomplishments of many of its members. “We are very heavily AKCA judge bound,” Ayers said. “We currently have five members that are current or past AKCA judges.” Ayers is himself a candidate judge who recently took part in judging the 1st Las Vegas Koi Club Show and 7th Annual Golden Empire Koi Show for the Bakersfield Koi & Water Garden Society. For more information about the Southern Arizona Koi Club and the 2007 AKCA Seminar visit www.sakoia.com.
Blackwater Creek President discusses pros and cons of regulations and tips for hobbyists
Joe Pawlak, president of Blackwater Creek Koi Farms has long been known as a successful full time professional koi breeder who like others in the business has important insights regarding existing and impending rules and regulations and how they impact the business and by extension koi hobbyists. “Regulate yourself or be regulated,” Pawlak said. “I’m not a regulation type of person. I live in the woods and enjoy my freedoms and with that we try to do things the correct way to limit the need for regulations. However, when industries grow just like with the Internet over time there is a need for regulations to make sure people are doing the proper thing and it has gotten to the point with the fish farming community and in the koi industry that regulation has come about. This hobby is booming like crazy. It is unfortunate in some respects that regulation has to happen, but I think it is also just part of the growth of the industry in general.”
A variety of diseases that can harm koi and other species have either been identified in the U.S. or are threatening. Pawlak understands and appreciates and supports the intent behind several new regulations. “If you give someone a reason to investigate you let’s say then they possibly will, but we are still mainstream. And even though we live in the woods we keep abreast of what is going on in the industry and how it will affect us and the families that make up Blackwater Creek Koi Farm. I started by saying I’m not for regulation however, the SVC or Spring Viremia of Carp import and inspection regulation was something that I’ll say I’m on the defensive side or defending that of the feds. Most people think that it was a knee-jerk reaction that they just decided last month that they were closing the borders and that’s it. That really wasn’t the case. I was very impressed by the way that came about, not so much the ruling, but the way that it happened. They had meetings that were held with various producer groups. I was invited to Nashville Tennessee for part of that group to discuss amongst my peers and others in the same business how this might affect our business and what we thought about it. In return they told us if the ruling goes through this is what we can expect if we try to export fish to other countries that they probably won’t let our fish in if we don’t let there fish in. They really gave us a heads up. I felt that our opinion was valued. So they got good feedback from many places before making that decision. And then as well they allowed public comment I believe for at least 60 days in which they read comments and got an idea on what they thought would be the right thing to do before making their decision. I think that this was thought out more than most people realize. Most people heard about it when the news was coming down and the news was hot and spreading like wildfire.” APHIS and other federal agencies were involved in the meetings that Pawlak and other members of the industry were invited to participate in and share the scenarios of likely impact on their business and their customers.
Then Pawlak explained the nature of the new Federal Order regarding Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS). This new order imposed early in November prohibits the importation of various fish species from regions of Canada and interstate transport of those same species in or out of border states of the Great Lakes were VHS was identified. “If this included common carp, then koi would be restricted as well,” Pawlak said. “And that would pretty much stop the industry in those states. With the SVC (import restrictions regarding Spring Viremia of Carp) I think a lot of the larger farms they saw it coming. The VHS I’m not sure they (breeders and dealers) saw that ruling coming or that they (regulators) did the same type of public comment. With SVC a lot of the farms especially the major farms in Japan knew that it was coming and they paid for the testing. It was very expensive to have the fish tested, but they knew that it was coming and the larger farms that are doing it the right way it won’t effect them too much.”
When asked if the new federal order regarding VHS could impact Blackwater Creek Koi Farms operations in Florida Pawlak said, “absolutely.” Pawlak like many other domestic koi farmers ships fish to suppliers around the country including the now restricted area and into Canada. Furthermore, a trade war could follow with Canada retaliating by banning the importation of koi and other species.
Pawlak could not offer much assurance that the koi hobby was protected from foreign or domestic regulations. “Carp species are of the minnow family and things are getting tough,” Pawlak said. “You have probably heard of the fish that jump and hit people in boats. That is the Asian grass carp, which is used extensively here in Florida for weed control. They are very effective. They will eat twice their body weight in weeds per day. For some of these noxious weeds they can definitely clean a lake up. The other species of carp such as black carp or big head carp and so on are used as a food source in Asian communities and considered a delicacy. You see a lot of that stuff being transported especially up into the Toronto area into the live market where they are being sold live by the pound where the customer picks them out of a tank live. One carp versus another carp, the general public sometimes when laws are made they don’t really know what the difference is between all of these. And it is very possible that koi could somehow, a common carp could easily be put into the equation.”
Pawlak agreed with Hawley who asked if hobbyists should get more involved and advocate for rules and regulations that protect the future of the hobby and the network of businesses that support it. When asked if he had heard of any koi clubs that had adopted resolutions or expressed as an organization any opinions to legislators or regulators in an effort to protect the hobby Pawlak said, “You know I don’t think that I have heard of anybody that has joined forces enough. They have Project KHV and so on to help battle a few diseases. So why not? Why not go the next step and protect our industry all together rather than protecting against as specific disease let’s make sure this hobby is promoted and understood as to what it is. A lot more people know what koi are. You are seeing them in commercials and all over the place. Let’s make sure it has a positive image.”
When asked if the feds would be receptive to such comments or if they might shut him down for talking about such things Pawlak said laughingly, “Nah, they are welcome to come anytime. Just don’t shut us down, but if you want to visit we will show you around, after we disinfect you, especially the feds (chuckles)! We look forward to the koi future and think it will be a great one.”
| Keystone Hatcheries President Describes How Koi Could be Impacted by VHS Federal Order |  |
In May of this year researchers at Cornell University in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation identified Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) in gobies and in gamefish species that died as part of a massive fish kill on the St. Lawrence River on the southern shore of Lake Ontario near Rochester, N.Y. VHS was first reported in the U.S. in 1988 in spawning salmon in the Pacific Northwest. From there the disease was found to have spread to Michigan’s Lake St. Clair, where it was reportedly identified in 2005 in the same species of gamefish that were infected this year. VHS is a disease requiring notification and reporting to the World Organization of Animal Health (OIE) that in turn typically imposes import/export restrictions on effected countries. This is a very big deal!
VHS or VHSV as it is also known causes fatal anemia and hemorrhaging in many fish species, but poses no threat to humans or other animals according to Cornell.
The new VHS Federal Order restricting the interstate transport of 37 fish species hits fish farms like Keystone Hatcheries hard. Mike Robinson, president of Keystone Hatcheries joined us to share details of how his family business that dates back to 1940 is effected. They are located between Chicago and Milwaukee and originally sold bait and gamefish then began selling koi about five years ago.
Robinson explains how the regulation effects his business and how the koi hobby could be impacted. “We have got about 32 ponds, but we sell a lot more fish than we can raise,” Robinson said. “And that is why this issue has effected us so much. We import fish from Arkansas, Minnesota, Michigan, South Dakota, and we fly in trout eggs from Washington State. So fish do move around and by the nature of the business we are effected significantly when you put up regulations that ban the movement across state lines. There are businesses that are more effected than ours. We can continue to operate in Illinois, but we cannot import the fish we need from Minnesota. The original order was a flat ban of movement of fish that are on the list across the state lines in the effected states for the fish that originated in those effected states. The change in regulations is very confusing at this point, but states that the fish if they have been tested negative by a competent state, tribal, or federal authority they can be moved across state lines if they are accompanied by a certificate. The problem is, I spoke with the head health officials for fish in Wisconsin and Illinois today and they really have no clue as to who is a competent authority, and are the fish supposed to be tested on an annual basis, or each batch tested, or each load tested? There is a whole lot of confusion at this point.”
If this is about wild fish how can it effect ornamental koi? “It is my understanding that in order for a species to get on that list it needs to be found in the wild infected alive or dead, or on a fish farm,” Robinson said. “It is not enough for the species to test positive in the laboratory because if that was the case I think every species would be on the list. From what I know they have not found a species that is not susceptible to the virus.”
The federal order also states, “If other species are identified as VHS susceptible, the Administrator will amend this list of regulated species and will specify the regulated species of live fish on the APHIS web site at www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/aqua.” This is an important point as Robinson explains. “That is how it can really effect you (referring to koi hobbyists),” Robinson said. “If they find a dead carp in Lake Eerie and they test it and find it positive for VHS then Cyprinus carpio goes onto the list. And then koi are subject to these regulations.” Koi are of the same genus and species as common carp. “As far as I know this supercedes any ornamental exemptions,” Robinson said. “If the species is on the list then it is subject to the regulations period.”
In the Robinson interview on the Koi Club of the Air (Nov. 30 audio) he further explained increasing costs and how that will impact his sales and other forecasts for 2007. States under the transportation ban currently include Illinois, Indiana, Michican, Minnesota, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. For more info about Keystone Hatcheries check them out at www.keystonehatcheries.com
| Leroy Taba on the Hawaii Goldfish and Carp Association |  |
Leroy Taba, representing the Hawaii Goldfish and Carp Association opened conversation about their club with the traditional island aloha. Though it might be a controversial point for some the leaders of the Hawaii Goldfish and Carp Association state that their club is the oldest koi club dating back to 1959 predating the club traditions of Japan. According to Taba, after the Japanese saw the Hawaii Goldfish and Carp Association in operation they went back and started their own koi organization in Japan. When asked if he was joking Taba noted, “No, I am serious. A lot of people want to change our name to Hawaii Koi Club or something else and we say no this name goes back to 1959. So we have to hold on to it.” As an AKCA club they meet every few months or once a quarter. They are located on Oahu where most of their members likewise reside. Meetings are usually held in a church. Steeped in tradition many of the older Hawaiian families maintain koi ponds, but they tend to covet their privacy in paradise, which makes putting on a pond tour difficult as with that for the AKCA Seminar a few years ago. The hobby is growing in Hawaii with more diversity of people getting into it besides those traditionally interested of Japanese heritage. Besides the well-known natural beauty of Hawaii many of the hotels and parks have koi in their ponds and water gardens further enhancing aesthetics that continue to make Hawaii a top international tourist destination. Visit the Hawaii Goldfish and Carp Association at www.hawaiigoldfishandkoi.org for more information.
What is interesting is some of the members are actually officers of the Inland Empire Water Garden and Koi Society. So we are hand in hand. We are not a breakaway group. We are here to support that group and that is evident because of the officers that belong to the Inland Empire Water Garden and Koi Society that are also members of our group.”
The style of the meeting is different than seen traditionally in the koi hobby. “I’m really interested in these workshops,” Todorsky said. “Did you have like a round robin where every week or two or whenever you would meet someone else would give a presentation?” Anderson explained how they had solicited members of Inland Empire through their newsletter who might be interested in discussing koi-related issues. “We have found that with this process as a workshop there is not one person that is standing up there as a instructor or teacher, but is only putting out thoughts and then picking up feedback from the rest of the workshop group. This has been very beneficial for all by all of us learning from each other’s experiences.”
Meeting have been held traditionally at the Anderson’s property complete with a 30 X 42’ building that houses a 22,000 gallon pond with an adjacent 16 x 20’ equipment room. Anderson jokingly calls it the Red Neck Koi Barn, but this truly a high tech redneck’s venture beautifully laid out with some of the best one could expect from tradition and technology.
“We started out with about seven people that came out to the first meeting that was held at our place that is referred to as the koi barn because our pond is a heated indoor pond. We met in February so therefore the winters in North Idaho are cold and this lent itself well to that. As the word continued to spread amongst the members of the IEWGKS that group continued to grow to the point that they actually were setting up an agenda of what the wanted.” The Northern Idaho Koi Keepers in now picking up local members and has a pioneering future ahead spreading information and sharing the hobby in an area AKCA representation is new to. For more information about the North Idaho Koi Keepers visit www.northidahokoikeepers.com or contact Gene Anderson at koipondman.tripod.com. Anderson will also be everyone’s point of contact for Project KHV as Ray Jordan transitions from its helm to other activities.
| Eye on the Prize: Soedjono Displays Photos of Show Winners Throughout U.S. |
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Koi show photographs can be the legacy of the event. Ben Soedjono, Dallas Koi Kichi newsletter editor joined us to share details of what he does in publishing photos and details of koi show results from around the country. “It all started when at one koi show someone said I know you from the newsletter and I wait for each every month, Soedjono said. “They said, the only thing is I wish you would have more koi pictures.” So Soedjono thought and then said, “okay, why not? As it turned out it was much harder than I thought it would be because I’d have to know who was in charge, ask them their permission and compile their winners list. And when I get the photographs I also like to know who is the owner, the breeder, the dealer, and the age of the fish. That is a lot of information and a lot of the koi show chairs don’t know that background information.” While some clubs appreciate the publicity that the Dallas Koi Kichi club newsletter provides of their show winners others are hesitant to share that information. Part of the hesitation in other club’s willingness to share their photos comes from the timeliness that Soedjono provides more quickly publishing the information than other club’s newsletter volunteers might.
Soedjono was asked if he would like to see his effort expand into comprehensive documentation of all show winning details including pictures and biographical he replied, “Oh I’d love that. And I’m sure a lot of my readers would love that. A lot of the subscribers who are not members are actually judges that have been to our show. And they would like to keep in contact with other winners and see how others judge fish and see where are the best fish.”
It is apparent that Soedjono puts a tremendous amount of effort into gathering the information with a system that follows the show series that is not easy for anyone that has ever tried to identify all the shows, dates, and contact information for them. “Normally per issue during the peak season I would get results from three or four shows per month over a six month period,” Soedjono said. “Unfortunately, koi shows are not distributed evenly throughout the year. There is a very quite period during the December, January, and February timeframe.” That might be time to catch his breath and try to determine the who, what, when, where and how to-s for the next koi show season.
“There are some shows that we know about, but there are no pictures,” Soedjono said. “They don’t have someone that is computer savvy enough or otherwise.” There are numerous problems that volunteers running shows can encounter that prohibit them from having photos. Plus, often there are problems determining who should get photo credits as there could be multiple photographers.
“Even in my club we don’t have a task specifically to take photographs,” Soedjono noted. Hawley teased that maybe there needed to be a task force to help clubs with their photography. Soedjono noted that clubs could also need some guidance in knowing what type equipment they should use for taking good quality photos and how do deal with varied weather conditions.
To have your show photos published in what may be the most comprehensive listing anywhere in the country contact Ben Soedjono through the Dallas Koi Kichi web site at www.dallaskoikichi.org. Soedjono can also provide helpful hints on the best methods for taking quality photos and how to deal with the monthly challenges of putting out a club newsletter.
Kevin Novak’s Anoxic Filtration
The pond filters that we are accustomed to throw them all into the big classification of a sewage treatment plant filters. “Basically that is what they are,” said Kevin Novak while explaining the theory behind is anoxic filtration system. “They came from sewage treatment plants (technology),” Novak said. “We have been using them for 60 or 70 years now. And this is what we are kind of stuck with. We use respiratory bacteria in this that uses high amounts of oxygen. The anoxic filtration uses the most abundant bacteria in any freshwater system. This is a dimorphic bacteria that’s capable of living in both oxygen free and oxygen environments, but at very low levels of oxygen. And because of this they break down waste into nitrogen.”
Todorsky in preparing to interview Novak went through a series of material that Novak has available on CD. The material explains the anoxic filtration system that is not something that Novak is selling that requires the purchase of a particular type of equipment, but a different philosophy about how to best filter a freshwater pond or water garden system.
“If a limnologist were to check out a pond there are certain things they are going to check out to see if that system is running or becoming euthropic in anyway,” Novak said. “They will check out how much nitrogen that pond is producing. The more nitrogen the pond is making the more it is working for us and it won’t collapse.” Novak states that with his anoxic filtration system in use a pond will not collapse, but instead stay fresh and clean. “It doesn’t clog at least not in the 18 years I’ve been experienced with it,” Novak said. “In other words, the systems that the hobbyists use they clog up almost immediately once you start them up. This one does not because of the way it has been designed and because of the way the bacteria acts and by the way dirt is not forced into anything.”
For those interested in more information about Kevin Novak’s Anoxic Filtration System contact him at drklnovak@hotmail.com.
Coming up on the Koi Club of the Air in December:
-AKCA Director and President of the San Diego Koi Club will be discussing the upcoming San Diego Show, details about their 2009 hosting of the AKCA Seminar which was moved to February and will include a koi show. Plus, Thompson will share his perceptions and answer questions about the AKCA organizations past, present, and future.
-Susan Reed will discuss planning and what to expect at the Southern Koi Expo. For more info now check out www.southern-koi-expo.com.
Plus, there will be much, much, more!
