Discussion

Fish have been a major food source for humans for ages, so major and so long that they have earned a place in the Western zodiac.

Unfortunately, fish are not one of the animals in the Japanese zodiac.

Standard Fish Model

Generally speaking, when we think of fish, we think of something that looks more or less like this.

A few of the many common fish that look similar but whose appearance varies from that basic model somewhat are tuna, barracuda, bass, perch, catfish, pike, sharks, cod and salmon. Fish with some strikingly different proportions like this Alligator gar still fit the model.

Exotic Fish

Quite a few fish differ from the basic model. One whose appearance begins to drift away from that model is the flatfish or halibut. The fins are obviously different, but notice that both eyes are on the same side of the head. This is because halibut like to lie buried flat on the ocean floor with only their eyes protruding above the surface, waiting for prey.

In spite of appearances, this sunfish hasn't been chopped in half and thrown back into the sea. This is the whole animal.

Lionfish seems to follow the basic pattern, but in an exaggerated way. Besides being colorful, the lionfish can deliver a deadly neuromuscular toxin through its spines.

Speaking of color, this spawning mandarinfish couple could win a prize in their native coral reef habitat.

Deep, deep, deep sea anglerfish aren't going to win any beauty contests. They have a built-in bioluminescent lure, powered by a bacterial colony, to attract prey.

The massive sturgeon looks like it follows the basic pattern, but it has no interior bones. It has an exoskeleton instead. Its interior is held together with cartilage. Some sturgeon species grow up to 18 feet long and can weigh more than two tons. Sturgeons are the source of caviar.

Eels are fish, too. Some, like this electric eel, are more exotic than others. Electric eels are capable of delivering an electric shock of up to 600 volts; not enough to kill humans without heart problems, but enough to briefly render someone unconscious.

One of the fish with the least fish-like appearance is the seahorse with its prehensile tail. The even stranger leafy seadragon below is a close relative.

Koi

There are many subspecies of the common carp shown above. One of the most beloved, especially by the Japanese, is the koi, formally named nishikigoi (錦鯉) (literally "brocaded carp").

Commercial Over Fishing

In 2016, approximately 171 million tons of fish were caught by commercial fishermen, about 151 million tons of which were for direct human consumption. (Those numbers include some non-fish species like lobsters, squid, etc., but the proportion compared with fish is minor.) Much of the fishing is done by huge factory ships like the one below, but a large number of smaller vessels are used, too, many of them family owned.

The numbers of fish caught is depleting wild fish stock so much that governments around the world are setting aside reserved areas where fishing is not allowed in hopes that natural fish populations will come back to normal and restore some species in danger of becoming extinct. It seems to be working, but there is a long way to go before things are back to normal, especially since enforcement of fishing in restricted areas is often poor.

One fish that is high on the endangered species list is the bluefin tuna. The flavor of its flesh is considered to be one of the best in the world; especially for sashimi, and consumer demand remains high.

Artwork

Gyotaku

In the mid 1800s, Japanese fishermen began producing gyotaku (literally "fish prints") to record trophy catches. Ink was spread over catches, and paper was gently pressed over the subject, producing a highly detailed print. There were competitions. The practice eventually faded, but it has revived in recent decades to become a worldwide artform. Here are two examples.

Katsuma Ryūsui (1711 – 1796)

Little information is available about Ryūsui. His principle contribution to art was to illustrate a two-volume book of poetry titled Umi no sachi (Treasures of the Sea), published in 1762. This is one of the illustrations.

Itō Jakuchū (1716 – 1800)

Jakuchū was introduced last week. Though he sometimes worked with others, Jakuchū was pretty independent. Deeply religious, he retired to a temple on the outskirts of Kyōtō toward the end of his life where he taught followers until his death at age 85. Works of his are collected in museums around the world.

His Fish in the Lotus Pond below was painted before 1765.

Utagawa Hiroshige 1797 – 1858)

Hiroshige is remembered today mostly for his famous ukiyo-e series, Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, and Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. He painted a lot more than that, however. His total output was prodigious. He designed over 10,000 single sheet prints and several hundred book illustrations. Among his lesser known works is kachoga (bird and flower prints). In the 1830s, the Kyokashi poetry guild commissioned him to produce ten fish kachoga, one of which is shown below.

Ohara Koson (1877 – 1945)

Another artist introduced last week was Koson, a prominent shin-hanga artist, dedicated to restoring traditional Japanese subjects, techniques, and values to Japanese art. Here is a fish print of his.