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The club started in the early eighties, when Henry Haraguchi made contact with Bill Benglyfield, a marine biologist living in White Rock. Henry had an interest in Koi and ponds and read about Bill's similar interest in a magazine article. Their contact resulted in an immediate freindship, and a trip in 1981 to California to attend a Koi show. Bill had attended school in California and was aware of club activity and Koi shows in that state.
Henry and Bill returned to the Vancouver area determined to see if there were enough like minded hobbyists who might be interested in forming a club. In those days there were many people who had ponds and a few who had Koi. There was no contact between individuals, no commercial involvement and most fish were of mediocre quality. A few individuals, Cyril Chave and Charles Abt, are two names that come readily to mind, were already expert hobbyists and had many years experience at raising Koi. Through trial and error and pretty much on their own, they had successfully brought in fish from Japan and were mastering the keeping of fish in backyard ponds. Another early pioneer John McPherson of Richmond was even breeding Koi after many years experience in tropical fish.
Slowly, through word of mouth, Bill and Henry found a small group of individuals who were happy to get together once a month to discuss their common love of Koi.
Thus it was in late 1981 that the Canada koi Club was started and meetings were held once a month during the entire year in members' houses. The name was an early suggestion of John McPherson and it was readily adopted.
The Club was successful from the onset and held its first show in 1982 at the Lansdowne Shopping Centre in Richmond. In the early eighties the Lansdowne site was a Japanese garden with a bridge. This lent itself perfectly to the show. The house of the site was Japanese and the planking of the bridge was such that at the end of the show emptying the tanks was a breeze. The plugs were pulled and the water ran through the decking to the pond below.
The Club continues to this day operating on the same basis as when started. Namely, meeting regularly to share knowledge, problems and pleasures associated with keeping Koi. But there are some differences and they have all been positive. The club is larger, the knowledge is greater and the fish are better, much better and with many more commercial dealers in the area and new clubs springing up throughout the Pacific Northwest, the future looks very bright indeed.
Meet Randy
Randy joined the CKCBC in 1998 and has served as President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Librarian before stepping back into the President role after the passing of our friend and former President, Marc.
With over 50 years of passion for fish, Randy discovered koi in 1998 when he built his first award-winning backyard pond (1,000 gallons). In 2006, he created a 5,000-gallon indoor koi pond, which earned international recognition as Best Small Koi Pond — yes, 5,000 gallons is still “small” in the koi world! His ponds have been featured in Koi USA and on television (click here).
Randy brings a wealth of experience and is always happy to help troubleshoot pond issues or talk fish health. His enthusiasm and friendly nature help new members feel welcome right away.
His favorite variety has changed over the years, but he always comes back to the elegant Kohaku — red and white, just like the Canadian flag.
Meet Marc
Marc served as President of the club from 2016 to 2025 and had been a dedicated member since 2009. His favorite koi was a stunning Showa, known for its bold pattern and strong personality.
He found deep joy and a sense of calm in caring for his koi, and he was always eager to share his knowledge of fish husbandry—drawing from both his personal experience and the specialized courses he completed. Marc had a true passion for raising the quality of koi within the club, and he spearheaded numerous initiatives to import top-tier koi from Japan.
Marc was always generous with his time, helping members and the public alike with questions and concerns about their ponds and fish. The club was a major part of Marc’s life, and he played an essential role in shaping its direction and spirit.
He will be deeply missed, and this new website is lovingly dedicated to his memory.
We can help.
Bring your ideas to life
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to build a pond but are unsure where to start. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.
Build your confidence
It can be intimidating to start keeping koi without much experience. Member help members learn best koi keeping practices.
Expand your potential
We want to help you meet your maximum potential, whether it’s helping you with filtration ideas or general koi health.