THE FISH ARE COMING!
- Sun 2nd Aug 2009
Fish, Fish and . . . . more Fish !
Like it says on the tin, if you go to something called the Festival of Fishkeeping don’t be too surprised if you see fish. This year’s event, staged by the Federation of British Aquatic Societies at Mill Rythe Holiday Village on Hayling Island - 9th - 11th October 2009 – will not only justify the description but will have even more fish than before.
Setting aside the big competitive categories for the moment, all fishkeepers are exceedingly proud of fish that they have bred themselves and the Festival offers visitors the chance to see just what can be achieved in the home aquarium.
There will be a display of home-bred surplus fish, but you’ll have to be quick to see it because these fish are for sale and are snapped up very quickly each day. However, a more leisurely approach can be achieved by viewing a new attraction, the Shanghai Class – where a single fish, a pair of fish and four youngsters all from the same species are exhibited.
The real, high-quality fish can be seen over the whole Festival weekend within each day’s competitive Specialist Societies’ Shows – Catfish, Discus, Goldfish, Killifish, Koi - plus the Federation’s own Shows, the British Open Championship (Best in Show fishes from 2008), the Festival Hagen Masters Open Show and, the culmination of the fishkeeper’s year the Supreme Championship where all the winners of the Federation’s Championship Classes from 2008 battle it out for the highest single fish honour.
You want more fish? Then how about the Championship Pairs and Breeders Finals? All these fish will have won their respective Classes and again represent all that’s best in Fishkeeping.
Don’t forget either that there is also the Society Furnished Aquarium Competition too, held over both days. Each day, visitors are asked to nominate their favourite aquarium set-up, based on the question
“Which of these aquariums would you choose for your own home?”
The aquarium that gathers the highest number of votes totalled over both days will win the Trophy.
The Holiday Village will be awash with fishkeeping knowledge, and everywhere you turn will feature a different aspect of the hobby but with a common ingredient - advice - from the many display stands ranging from well-known manufacturers, distributors and Guest Speakers right down to Specialist Societies themselves. A certain centre of attraction will be Star Fisheries’ display of stunning Fancy Goldfish. Just walking around talking to such people will get you more practical information than browsing for a whole evening on the Internet!
A new area for 2009 (how do the Festival Organisers keep on coming up with annual innovations?) is the Craft Marquee. This will certainly be a safe haven for the ladies away from all that ‘fish talk’ and a wide range of activities is promised.
Apart from the extra social facilities of the Holiday Village enjoyed by those lucky enough to be resident for the whole weekend, the real good news is that everyone is a winner at this popular event, as admission to day visitors (Saturday and Sunday) is absolutely FREE!
COME AND CATCH THE BEST FISH SHOW OF THE YEAR!
For more information about the Festival of Fishkeeping go to
www.fbas.co.uk or www.festivaloffishkeeping.co.uk
where you can download a Booking Form for residential stay or contact Grace Nethersell on 020 8847 3586.
By forum user, Dick Mills Discuss this news item in our forum
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