A top bidder at a Tokyo fish market said they paid $1.3 million for a tuna on Sunday, the second-highest price ever paid at the prestigious annual New Year's auction.
Michelin-starred sushi restaurateurs Onodera Group said they paid 207 million yen for a 608-pound bluefin tuna, roughly the size and weight of a motorcycle.
It is the second-highest price paid at the opening of the year's auction at Tokyo's main fish market since comparable data began to be collected in 1999.
High-powered buyers have paid the highest price for five consecutive years, winning the rights to the airwaves and the lucrative frenzy of media attention in Japan.
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“The first tuna is what brings success,” Onodera official Shinji Nagaa told reporters after the auction. “Our desire is for people to eat it and have a great year.”
Last year, Onodera Group paid 114 million yen for the best tuna.
But the highest price at the auction was ¥333.6 million for a 612-pound blue in 2019when the fish market was moved from the traditional area of Tsukiji to a modern facility in nearby Toyosu.
The record bid was made by self-proclaimed “King of Tuna” Kiyoshi Kimura, who runs the national chain of Sushi Zanmai restaurants.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, tuna on New Year's Eve cost only a fraction of its usual peak prices as the public was advised not to eat out and restaurants had limited hours.
Issei Kato/REUTERS
Pacific bluefin tuna are the largest species of tuna in the Pacific Ocean, with adults reaching nearly 10 feet in length and 1,000 pounds.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies Pacific bluefin tuna as a vulnerable group. However, according to v National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationIn recent years, the fish population has been increasing. An assessment released in June found that Pacific bluefin tuna “have exceeded international targets a decade ahead of schedule,” NOAA said.