Auction gets fishy

By Maria Vega, On-Line Forty-Niner

Monday, November 9, 1998

Despite cold winds and the threat of rain, more than 100 people bid Sunday on several hundred colorful Koi fishes at the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden.

The 12th Annual Young Fish Harvest Festival was sponsored by Cal State Long Beach's Japanese Garden, in conjunction with the Zen Nippon Airinkai Koi Club.

Visitors crowded under a tent to get a better look at each Koi as it was presented in its turn and put into large tank to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

"Come rain or shine, we were going to do it," said Janet Scheleri, director of the Japanese Garden. "It is one of our biggest annual events."

The auction came about because the garden needed to reduce the number of fishes in its pond, Scheleri said. The overstock situation is partly due to people donating fish to the garden.

Garden workers and student volunteers from Learning Alliance and the President's Scholars Saturday helped catch Koi from the pond.

"We were actually in the pond with nets," said Jeannie Moss, student assistant and CSULB liberal arts major. "The Koi are very powerful."

Scheleri said the Koi Club members bring fish as well, conduct the auction and then give a contribution of all money raised to the Japanese Garden.

"This event couldn't be possible without the help of the club," Scheleri said. "Last year, we made about $5,000."

The fast-talking auctioner, Koi Club member Chai Taevanitcharoen, kept things moving and made jokes on how people were paying low prices for the usually expensive fish.

"You guys are thieves, practically stealing fish that's worth $300," Taevanitcharoen said.

Bids ranged from $10 to $270. Scheleri said last year's highest bid was $700.