World’s Most Expensive Koi Carp Sold For Record-Breaking $1.8 Million

Sometimes I like to sit back and think about what I would do if I was given a couple of million to spend.

If this sort of fortune were to magically fall into my bank account tomorrow, I would possibly kick things off by booking a lovely holiday somewhere sunny and peaceful, where I could consider more practical purchases.

However, nowhere in this daydream would I ever consider blowing the entirety of my windfall on a single koi carp, no matter how beautiful looking the fish might be.

You can find out more about why koi are so highly coveted in the following clip:

There are, of course, those out there with the cash to spare and a passion for koi. Just two years ago, one of these fish was sold for a record-breaking $1.8 Million (£1.4 million).

Miss Yingying bought the 3ft 3ins female koi at the Saki Fish Farm in Hiroshima, from renowned breeder Kentaro Sakai

The greatly coveted S Legend was nine years old at the time of purchase, and had been the winner at the prestigious All Japan Koi Show the year prior. Miss Yingying bought it with the intention of entering into the competition once again, with high hopes of a second victory.

British koi expert Tim Waddington explained to the MailOnline that although winners don’t take home any prize money, the prestige of earning the title two years running would add to the carp’s already illustrious reputation.

According to Waddington:

This is a record price paid for a single koi carp. At 101cm it is very large and from the favoured Kohaku variety.

Not much is known about the woman who bought the fish other than she is called Miss Yingying and is from Taiwan.

Much like dogs are bred for particular traits, koi are chosen and bred for their physical attributes, with the best koi regarded to have a ‘good balance of colours and patterns’.

A single koi may birth hundreds of thousands of baby koi in one go. A breeder may therefore begin with millions of fish babies, before making several rounds of selections as they grow.

For example, breeders may narrow down three million babies to just 15,000 in the first year, before picking 1,000 of the ‘best’ to raise in the second year.