A record bid of €2.78 million has been paid for a giant bluefin tuna in Tokyo fish market’s annual new year auction.
The bid of 510.3 million yen is said to have been the highest since comparable data began to be recorded in 1999.
"Tuna King" Kiyoshi Kimura's sushi restaurant chain is reported to have paid the top price for the 243kg fish that was caught off Japan's northern coast.
Two years ago, the Pew Charitable Trusts noted that an agreement in 2017 by countries from both sides of the Pacific ocean supported “an ambitious rebuilding plan that would bring the species back to sustainable levels within a decade”.
“Fishing quotas were cut, fewer small fish were caught, and the stock was allowed to reproduce and recover, “it said in 2024.
"I'd thought we would be able to buy a little cheaper, but the price soared before you knew it," Kimura commented after the auction at Tokyo's main fish market.
"I was surprised at the price...I hope that by eating auspicious tuna, as many people as possible will feel energised," he told reporters.
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