Welcome to Northern Midwest ZNA
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Brett Rowley, Noted Fish Biologist, to Give Seminar Entitled, “Koi 101” Brett Rowley of Liverpool, Texas, is one of the best known names in American koi. He will appear as a lecturer at the Northern Midwest Zen Nippon Airinkai Koi Club’s second annual koi show and pond expo, which will be held at Rizzi’s Flower Garden and Aquatic Center, located at Fraser Road and Route 59 in Plainfield, Illinois. On Saturday, September 11th, he will deliver his well known “Koi 101” presentation, which will commence at 10:00 a.m. This seminar is a must for anyone who has ever dug a hole in the ground for the purpose of displaying fish, whether they are goldfish, comets or koi. It provides the basic science skills and knowledge base necessary for keeping fish alive and well in clear, clean water. Even ponders with an intermediate level of expertise will find something worth learning in Brett’s presentation. Some of the talk’s topics include: how koi are bred; requirements for keeping happy and healthy fish; designing your pond; pitfalls; plumbing choices; filtration; quarantine; koi care; stocking levels; and, how to select healthy fish. Brett graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Fisheries Ecology and Sciences in 1980. From 1981 through 1986, he managed a fish hatchery that produced over 30 species of fish. He then worked for three years at a 4000 acre catfish farm that produced 35 million fish per year. From 1992 to 1997, he worked for Great Lakes, Inc., as General Manager and Fisheries Biologist. One of the largest producers of sport fish in the United States, Brett was in charge of producing and maintaining trophy size large mouth bass in three 100 acre man-made lakes. While at Great Lakes, he was exposed to koi, which the company decided to breed and produce as a sideline. Because koi are often colorful, the culls were used as living bass food for the fish bound for the sport fishing lakes. Coincidentally, the then Crown Prince Akishino of Japan, himself a noted ichthyologist, visited America and Great Lakes, Inc. The crown prince is now the Emperor of Japan. Finally, in 1997, he started his own koi farm, Brett’s Fish Farm, and started breeding high quality domestic koi, which are sold and distributed all over the United States and Canada. He continues to consult local aquaculture establishments in Texas and has been retained by various U.S. agencies concerned with koi health issues, especially those involving the feared virus, SVC (spring viremia of carp). Brett has a charmingly folksy approach to public speaking, and he has the wonderful capability of making complex scientific concepts easily understood by the layman. This is a rare opportunity to learn about America’s most popular backyard fish from a master fish producer/keeper. For more information, contact: Bob Brudd 708-460-9202 r.brudd@comcast.net |
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