Members of the Koi industry in Singapore have expressed concern about the Koi Herpes Virus (KHV) epidemic currently sweeping Japan, says a report in The Japan Times.
Singapore has eight Koi farms, many of which act as "Koi Hotels" where people are able to hire ponds in which to grow-on their fish.
Pay Bok Sing, Managing Director of Nippon Fish Farm Trading, told The Japan Times: "I can't sleep at night because KHV might thrive in hot weather in Singapore. I hope Japan can control it. If they can't control it, a lot of Singapore's Koi hotels will have to close down. Many customers keep their Koi here, and if the virus spreads to their fish it will be disastrous."
The Singapore government has not yet banned the importation of Koi from Japan, however, it introduced restrictions that require quarantine and compulsory testing to (hopefully) determine whether the fish are infected.
Many Singapore Koi importers have suspended fish buying trips this year due to the virus epidemic.
Imports of Japanese Koi into the UK this year are starting to look unlikely. Many experts believe that more fish will die when the weather warms up in early spring.