People in Japan are demonstrating their skills at a competition to see who can catch the most goldfish using a fragile paper scoop.

Yamatokoriyama City in Nara Prefecture has been hosting the event since 1995 to boost its profile as a major goldfish farming town.

The 29th annual competition was held on Sunday in the city, with over 1,700 contestants participating from across the country.

Armed with fragile paper scoops, the competitors try to capture as many goldfish as possible in three minutes from tubs containing about 1,000 fish each.

A total of 181 groups took part in the team scooping competition in the morning.

A member of a local team of women in their 50s said their hard practice paid off.

A first-time entrant said her team scooped only one and she felt that the event is not for amateur scoopers.

Twenty-five teams competed in the finals after getting through an elimination round. The winner scooped a total of 79 goldfish.