Collectible Wildlife Gifts | Fish, Sweetfish, Japan, Museum Quality, Hand Painted, Rubber Animal, Realistic, Toy, Model, Gift, 6 1/2" CH601 BB165

This  Sweetfish, Ayu. 6 1/2"  figure includes hand painted features to give it realistic details that are true to natural anatomy.  This figure is considered a museum quality replica. Highest Quality Natural Rubber. Sweetfish, also called ai, or ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis), delicately flavored  marine fish that migrates upstream to spawn in clear waters. It is found in East Asia and is of the family Osmeridae. The sweet fish is light yellow or olive-colored, about 30 cm (1 foot) long, and similar to a small trout in appearance. It is distinguished by a ridged tongue, a sail-like dorsal fin, and teeth arranged on saw-edged plates at the sides of the jaws. In Japan tame cormorants are used to catch the fish as it swims upriver.  The ayu sweetfish (Plecoglossus altivelis), ayu (アユ, 鮎, å¹´é­š, 香魚) or sweetfish, is a species of fish. It is the only species in the genus Plecoglossus and family Plecoglossidae. It is a relative of the smelts and other fish in the order Osmeriformes.  Native to East Asia, it is distributed in the northwestern Pacific Ocean along the coast of Hokkaidō in Japan southward to the Korean Peninsula, China, Hong Kong and northern Vietnam. It is amphidromous, moving between coastal marine waters and freshwater lakes and rivers. A few landlocked populations also exist in lakes in Japan such as Biwa. Original wild populations in Taiwan became extinct in 1968 due to pollution and present extant populations were reintroduced from Japan in the 1990s.  Ayu is an edible fish, mostly consumed in East Asia. Its flesh has a distinctive, sweet flavour with "melon and cucumber aromas". It is consequently highly prized as a food fish. The main methods for obtaining ayu are by means of fly fishing, by using a fish trap, and by fishing with a decoy which is known as ayu-no-tomozuri in Japan. The decoy is a living ayu placed on a hook, which swims when immersed into water. It provokes the territorial behavior of other ayu, which assault the "intruder" and get caught. Japanese fishers also catch it using cormorant fishing. On the Nagara River where Japanese cormorants (Phalacrocorax capillatus) are used by the fishermen, the fishing season draws visitors from all over the world. The Japanese cormorants, known in Japanese as umi-u (ウミウ, "sea-cormorant"), are domesticated birds trained for this purpose. The bird catches the ayu, stores it in its crop, and delivers it to the fishermen.     Thanks for visiting Collectible Wildlife Gifts, the leading provider of high-quality, lifelike animal Designs and gifts! We work hard to ensure we have a diverse range of products. Each product is inspected for their quality craftsmanship. Whether you're searching for a great gift or seeking educational designs for displays, we ™ve got you covered. At Collectible Wildlife Gifts, our products appeal to a wide range of customers, including family, friends, and educators. Our products are trusted and used by professional organizations as well including aquariums, zoos, and movie studios. Our extensive line of products boasts everything from plush sharks to educational animal growth cycles. Our products bring joy to recipients, and serve as valuable educational resources, sparking curiosity and fostering learning. Discover the wonders of the natural world with Collectible Wildlife Gifts. Browse our collection today!