[Erns]

I saw a few koi produced by Purdin koi farms in a recent British magazine and I must admit I was amazed at the quality. It was really something. Even the 3 and 4 year olds looked pretty good.

I also believe in supporting the local guys because of that ever increasing fear of what if imports was to seize. The problem with the local guys are that they have not had 200 years to develop a bloodline of parent koi, so that will take time and whether they have to skill to do so we will see.

Just look at the recent article in Koi USA on Hasegawa Kohaku, another example of how it took a life time to develop a good line in just one variety. Local guys need to survive, and there will always be a good market for commercial koi, the same with the Japanese. Once the local guys have established a good flow of money they can start to focus on producing quality in one or two varieties but that will also mean sacrificing a bit of income for an high risk investment over time.