Giant Goldfish

By Tan Ee Lyn

DONGGUAN, China (Reuters) - ©

A giant goldfish (Bruce) owned by Louis Chan

Two Hong Kong fish breeders are angling for a place in the Guinness Book of Records with a giant goldfish the size of an average housecat.

"Bruce", more formally known as a Red Oranda, measures 37.2 cm (15 in) long and is big enough and strong enough to give any hungry tabby second thoughts.

Scooping up the writhing orange bundle with both hands, Louis Chan beamed and attributed Bruce's bulk to selective breeding, a good diet and plenty of exercise.

"Every fish breeder dreams of owning the biggest fish," said Louis as he and his brother Jackie showed off the grounds of their large fish farm in Dongguan in China's Guangdong province.

Guinness has no category for the longest goldfish, but the Chans secured a certificate of authentication from Chinese officials late last year and are confident Bruce will eventually win a place.

"It isn't the case that every fish, given the best conditions, can grow so big. We can predict which fry has the potential, but from there, we need to nurture them," said Louis, who preferred not to give away the secrets of Bruce's diet nor exercise regime.

The brothers are among a group of fish breeding pioneers from Hong Kong who moved their farms in the 1980s to southern China, where land and labour costs are far cheaper.

MANY SUCCESSES, THOUGH SOME ATTEMPTS FLOUNDER

The Chans are set to make more waves in June when they release a new hybrid goldfish they successfully bred last year.

"Behind every successful new breed is five or six failures," said Louis as he held up the black and white Ranchu -- a variety of goldfish without dorsal fins. "It takes at least three years to get a new variety," said Jackie, who together with his brother have bred more than 20 new varieties of goldfish in the last two decades.

Their farm is one of the biggest in China, breeding more than 100 of the 300 goldfish varieties known in the country.

Almost all their fish are exported, with the United States and Europe taking more than 50 percent.

Goldfish are believed to have originated in China, where records dating back to 300 A.D. contain references to them. The Chinese, in particular, prize the brightly coloured fish as a symbol of wealth and abundance.

Goldfish breeding spread to Japan around 1500 and then to Britain, Portugal, France and the Netherlands in the 18th century with the flourishing of international trade.

The Chans took the serious fish breeding world by storm when they unveiled a black and white butterfly-tail Moor in 1984. The fish can command prices of up to HK$8,000 (US$1,025) each with some fetching more than HK$10,000.

Unlike the new Ranchu, the Moor has clearly delineated patches, which later earned it the nickname "panda goldfish".

Despite the economic downturn, the brothers have kept export revenues steady at around HK$20 million in the last few years, thanks to selective breeding and steady supply of new varieties.

Worldwide trade in aquarium and ornamental fish easily totals hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars.

"We will be pushing at least five new varieties onto the market each year in the next few years," said Jackie, 50.

Louis said: "It is not difficult. We have a lot of experience in fish breeding and we have hired a number of acquaculturists and geneticists from the mainland doing it full time."