Why is the "Legendary" Koi fish worth up to 42 billion VND, the most expensive in history?

The 9-year-old Koi fish named S Legend, of the Kohaku breed, is about 101 cm long.

In the end, Taiwanese collector Yingying successfully bid and bought the rare fish from Kentaro Sakai for 203 million Yen (equivalent to about 42 billion VND). This is the highest priced Koi fish in history.

According to Business Insider, the 9-year-old Koi fish named S Legend, of the Kohaku breed, is about 101 cm long. S Legend is the fish that won the All Japan Koi Show 2017 and is expected to continue to hold its position in the next competition.

Accordingly, the Kohaku breed is a Koi breed that is white with red patches on its body. To become a perfect Kohaku Koi, the white color must be pristine without any yellowish deviation.

Koi fish began to be kept in Japan in the 1700s when farmers began breeding them for their distinct colors and patterns. Koi fish are actually a type of carp and today they are the most expensive ornamental fish in the world.

There are regular competitions around the world to name the top Koi fish.

9 year old Koi fish costs 41.5 billion VND.

Usually, the examiners and buyers of Koi fish will pay attention to its characteristics such as how healthy its skin is, the size and shape of its body, how gracefully it moves in the water and most importantly, its color. For example, there are Koi fish with unusual light blue spots, or those with large red patches on their backs or golden yellow all over their bodies.

Highly prized fish usually fall into the above three categories. The better the balance of color and pattern of Koi fish, the higher the price.

Yvo de Wal, a Koi fish seller in the Netherlands and owner of a popular YouTube channel about Koi fish, travels to Japan every year to hand-pick the most beautiful fish.

Koi fish have 6 types of color pigment cells in their skin. These are the cells that determine red, white, black, yellow, blue and metallic. To become a beautiful Koi fish, the color mix must be enough to become orange-red, with a white body and many large red patches on the body.

In traditional Japanese culture, red and white are two main colors, symbolizing joy and purity.

The color cells are located in different locations on the skin of the Koi. Some colors are located near the surface, some are located deeper. The more beautiful and brighter the color of the fish, the higher the price.

Although Koi are capable of bearing millions of offspring at a time, raising them is extremely difficult. Koi breeders must make smart choices. Reports show that a breeder can start with 3 million newborns but only choose about 15,000 to raise in the first year and about 1,000 to raise in the following year.

However, hard work will bring not only great profits but also reputation to Koi breeders.