We started the year full of good intentions at the Nationwide: Delegates Meeting held in early February 2020 with an agreed programme for training new judges, a review of the current Nationwide: Standards together with an early draft of a proposed standard for the ‘Telescope Butterfly’ and agreement and allocation of responsibilities to stage the seventh Nationwide: National Open Show scheduled for October 2020. Within a month the dreadful pandemic known as Covid-19 hit our shores and at the time of writing 12/06/2020 had claimed over 46,000 lives and made many more seriously ill. Taking the lead from the Government AMGK postponed its annual Open Show until the end of June 2021 in the hope that restrictions would be eased by then and, hopefully, a cure or simple treatment or vaccine for the virus will be in place.
JUDGES’ TRAINING
I can report that at the last AMGK meeting most of the potential new judges willing to undertake a course of training were unofficially put through their paces with fish brought to the meeting (Bristol Shubunkins and Fantails). Trainees were asked to put the 10 or so Bristol Shubunkins in order of merit and all of them placed the top two and worse fish in the agreed correct order, selected by the qualified judges. All bodes well for the future and hopefully in a couple of years or so, depending how many and how soon we can have our National Open Shows again we should have a few more judges to help shorten the judging time and ease the burden on the existing judges on the day.
FISH BREEDING
Although we have reports of some successful goldfish breeding so far these year, it appears that not all varieties, recognised by Nationwide: have been bred in 2020. Some of these are, by the listings shown on the Nationwide: web site, extremely rare and need to be saved for the future of the hobby. We ask that all breeders inform their Nationwide: delegates of what fish have been successfully bred this year so that a more accurate assessment can be made of the status of each recognised Standard Variety to inform the 2021 breeding programme. Identification of each breeder’s stock is important as a first step, but as the Nationwide: Show secretary has often reported ,only the successful breeding and showing of each variety will give a true picture of where we all are in the hobby.
NATIONAL FANCY GOLDFISH OPEN SHOW
Although the usual venue for this show in October is still reserved, we will be sending out more information and clarification when the situation regarding Covin-19 becomes clearer.
There are two main questions that are of concern and relate to the logistics of having a show with 2.0m restrictions and enough volunteers fit enough to physically stage the show and run and judge it.( we had 19 volunteers last year working the night before the show and many more helping to pulling the show down and cleaning up after the show’s end.
A final decision will be made towards the end of August.
