Enjoying the beauty of the erotic arowana fish
JAKARTA (JP): Remember Jamie Lee Curtis in the film A Fish Called Wanda?
No doubt many found her sexy and alluring. But wait a minute. Freshwater aquarium fish collectors may have a different opinion. To them, the arowana is more erotic and attractive than Wanda.
The alluring body, the tempting color of its scales and its wild eyes are incomparable. Add a myth and the Asian Arowana (Scleropages formosus) is irresistible.
That's why many people are willing to spend bundles of money and oodles of time on this sparkling fish.
The arowana is especially popular among Chinese and Japanese communities worldwide, probably due to its slick movements and attractive colors which are similar to a dragon, a mystical animal the Chinese believe brings peace and luck.
According to Arowana, a bulletin issued by the Indonesian Association of Arowana Breeders (Aspiari), the fish are divided into seven subspecies, consisting of Asian Arowana Scleropages formosus, Northern Spotted Barramundi (Scleropages jardini), Spotted Barramundi (Scleropages leichardti), Heterotis (Heterotis niloticus), Arapaima (Arapaima gigas), Silver Arowana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum) and Black Arowana (Osteoglossum ferreirai).
Some of the subspecies can reach a length of over one meter.
The Asian Arowana, actually a type of barramundi, is mainly found in rivers in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia and Malaysia. The Northern Spotted Barramundi is also found in Indonesia and in northern Australia. The remaining subspecies are found in Australia, Africa and South America.
The Silver Arowana, also known as the jumping fish, is the prima donna of the arowana species and is found in the Kapuas River in West Kalimantan along with the Asian Arowana.
The Asian Arowana, the most popular subspecies in the arowana trade here, is divided into four classes, based on the color of their body: the super-red, the golden-red, the red-tail and the green. The super-red is the favorite in its class.
According to Tris Tanoto, a top fish breeder specializing in super-red Asian Arowana, the super-red class is divided again into three red color groups: chili, blood and papaya.
The fish, locally known as siluk, became popular in Indonesia in 1983 when the government listed it as a rare and endangered species. Fishermen are no longer allowed to catch or sell siluk taken from the wild.
According to the director for agricultural and forestry product exports, Zulkifli Siregar, of the three scleropages species in the country -- formosus, leichardti and jardini -- only the first two are protected under international animal law.
Previously, siluk was just a wild predator to fishermen in Kalimantan, Irian Jaya and Sumatra. The fish consumed every small organism living in and at the side of rivers, including prawns, frogs, insects and centipedes.
In Pontianak, home of the famous Kalimantan Arowana, salted red arowana sold for Rp 1,000 a kilogram. Its hard but colorful scales were used to decorate local handicrafts. In Jambi, the fish was steamed for daily meals.
Today, many fishermen struggle to net the precious arowana to sell to fish breeders.
The price of the fish is sometimes so unbelievably high that those outside the hobby find it hard to comprehend.
For instance, the current price of a 40-centimeter-long, 18- month-old super-red Scleropages formosus can reach 500,000 Japanese yen (US$4,680) in Tokyo and Osaka markets.
Similar species with excellent red body color from Tris Tanoto's fish breeding center in Munjul, East Jakarta, was offered to a Japanese collector for 3,000,000 yen.
The market rate overseas is generally much higher than the standard price set by Aspiari.
The association, which currently has 16 members, sets the price of a 15-centimeter-long Scleropages formosus of the super- red class at around Rp 850,000, the golden-red at Rp 250,000, the red-tail at Rp 100,000 and the green at Rp 15,000.
The other species, Scleropages jardini, cost between Rp 7,500 and Rp 15,000 each.
"This is the standard price," says Ismu Sutanto Suwelo, an executive of the association. "But, don't ask me the real price. It's the secret of every individual trader because the price of an arowana is very personal, depending on the fish," Ismu stated in the latest Arowana bulletin.
At present, Japan is still the favorite market for Indonesian arowana breeders. Other potential markets include Hong Kong, China, Singapore and a few European countries.
According to reporter Naotoshi Sato of the Tokyo-based Fish Magazine, Asian Arowana from Indonesia are still more attractive and expensive than those from other exporting countries, such as Malaysia and Singapore, due to its perfect "performance", namely size, color, movements and eyes.
In 1994, Indonesia exported 2,000 arowana to Japan, he said.
Many wealthy Indonesians pay special attention to this fish. They build huge aquariums in their offices and at home for different reasons, including the belief that the fish boosts their social status.
Under the existing Indonesian laws and rules issued in compliance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), all local breeders must certify their arowana. They must also install a CITES-approved microchip on every arowana to guarantee that the fish has not been taken from the wild.
Each microchip, which costs Rp 12,000 here, contains data about the fish breeder. (bsr)