Fishers of Men: Fresh Fish

Photo courtesy of Jeff Wettstein and Rick York

The Japanese have always loved fresh fish but the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. To feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and traveled farther than ever. The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the fish. If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were no longer fresh and the Japanese did not like the taste.

To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats.They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen and they did not like frozen fish.

Also, the frozen fish brought a lower price. So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, the fish would stop moving. They were tired and dull, but alive. Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish.

To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks, but they added a small shark to each tank. Sure, the shark would eat a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state satisfying the Japanese market.  The fish are challenged and this made the difference.

Have you realized that some of us are also living in a pond that most of the time is tired & dull? We need a Shark in our life to keep us awake and moving. Basically, in our lives, sharks are new challenges to keep us active and tasting better...  If your challenges are the correct size, and if you are steadily conquering those challenges, you hone your skills and develop your character. You think of your challenges and get energized. and you get excited to try new solutions.

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