At this time of the year aji gets almost too large in size and the smaller fish are more difficult to find. One of the prestige of some sushi chefs is small fish such as shinko, a fish rarely seen outside of Japan. In the spring the fish loses its pink flesh and becomes more white. The second photo below is a winter aji, pink and small just the way it should be. It becomes obvious for sushi aficionados when you have a chance to eat raw fish throughout the four seasons, spring fish is much more lean.