[jnorth]

Quote: Originally Posted by paladin_k2 Ray, I have to agree with you that the translated interview article between Hasegawa-san and Kodama-san in the May/June 07 Koi USA magazine is one of the best and most informative interviews I have ever read with a specific and well known Japanese koi breeder. I sort of interpret Hasegawa-san’s words more figuratively than literally. When he says “weakest” I believe he may mean “least likely to survive on their own.” Also when Hasegawa-san is translated as saying “because of disease” he may be really saying something about “death by natural causes.” This quote from the article is just one of the pearl’s of wisdom but it is most enlightening: “Making beautiful koi is the goal of koi breeding. Beautiful koi are weak. So when I release 70,000 fry, (and if 40 days later) I am only able to harvest 60,000 because of disease. Then I can guarantee that all the beautiful ones are already dead.” I do not believe that this quote truly means that the 100 most beautiful koi out of 100,000 fry will always be the weakest and most infirmed fish in terms of health and sickness but instead I believe that Hasegawa-san is expressing the real fact that the most beautiful and unique fish in any spawn will in most cases be the least likely to survive if not selected and cared for by the breeder. Even Kodama-san was amazed by some of the comments he heard from Hasegawa-san and that would have been in the original Japanese to Japanese version. I think there is a subtle yet important difference in what Hasegawa-san is saying in the original Japanese interview versus what many English speaking readers will interpret. Again I agree that the interview article was fantastic and eye opening.

Maybe he was trying to quote Billy Joel..."Only the good die young" Sorry couldn't resist .