#46. Fish-keeping: History and Origin
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The practice of keeping fish as pets, and of breeding them, goes back thousands of years.The art of fishkeeping has developed gradually from the basic need of food.Food fish were formerly the exclusive privilege of people living by the sea or near rivers, as the storing of live fish was impractical.
The first captive fishes are likely to have been members of the carp family. Over the years, fishkeepers may have learned to recognize individuals and become attached to their charges, and it is likely that an occasional genetic sport, or non-standard coloured fish, would appear and draw greater attention. Such fish would be segregated and kept for their appearance rather than their meat, and so the fishkeeping hobby was born.
It is thought that the Ancient Egyptians were among the very first who kept fish. Frescoes found in their tombs indicate that fish were regarded by them as sacred. The Romans kept both freshwater and marine fish species in public display aquariums, the former to sell as food and the later as decorative status symbols.
It was in China and Japan that fishkeeping really developed into a culture. in the Sung Dynasty, the keeping of red carp was a common practice, and once regular exports of these fish arrived in Japan in 1500s, their formal recognition and appreciation was established. The hobby reached Europe in the 17th century, and Goldfish were introduced to America a century later.
The first major public aquarium was erected in the Zoological Gardens of London, England in 1853.
Pierre Corbonnier was first, who successfully bred the tropical fishes in Europe. He was the founder of the oldest public aquarium
of Paris in 1850. He was the first who successfully bred paradise fish. Later he has also bred some other tropical fish species. Imperial French Acclimatization Society has awarded this great researcher with gold medal for his research, breeding of exotic freshwater aquarium fish and for introducing exotic fish species successfully in France.
Japanese were the first who refine and create several strains of goldfish by selective breeding.
Modern fishkeepers can make a definite contribution towards improving the hobby by studying the living and breeding requirements of their fish. With better understanding , fish could be bred commercially in such quantities that natural stocks could remain untouched. Indeed, many freshwater fishes are already bred in captivity, but the breeding of marine fishes still remains experimental.