Questions from "Fish Breeding"
Answers from "Professor Kenichi Ohno's Homepage"

How do fish make babies...and can I watch?

When Japan was forced by the West to open its ports (1853-54), the possibility of colonization was real. But by Meiji Restoration (1868), Japan no longer worried too much about being colonized. Instead, its national goal became to catch up fast with the West.

Why did my female platy just turn around and eat her babies?

I don't know exactly why. One possible reason is development of domestic commerce and the rise of rich merchant class during the Edo Period.

My favorite line from Lun-yu is as follows: "You shall always remember the age of your parents. One, for celebrating. Two, for fearing."

My fish just laid eggs. How do I keep the eggs or babies from being eaten?

Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun, was very clever. Various systems created at the beginning of the Edo period prevented any revolt against the central government

I have fish in a breeding setup, but they just won't breed.

I have no good answer. But I can give you the following suggestions: (i) they were busy with other things (American Civil War 1861-65, Prussia-France War 1870-71, etc); (ii) Far East was too far away; (iii) Korea maintained a strict closed door policy; (iv) China (Qing Dynasty) considered Korea as a protectorate.

My fish bred, but I cannot raise the fry to adulthood.

Without British help, Japan could not have laid its first railroad.

Can I make any money breeding fish?

I suppose we can say YES.

AAARGH! COMRADE

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