At the Toyosu Fish Market, a wholesale seafood market in Tokyo, Japan, a 276 kg bluefin tuna from Oma in Aomori Prefecture was sold for a record high price of 207 million yen (approximately 1.94 billion won) in the first tuna auction of the year on the 5th.
According to Kyodo News and NHK, a restaurant company and a seafood intermediary wholesaler jointly purchased the highest-priced tuna. These two companies have purchased the highest-priced tuna at the start of the year for five consecutive years.
The auction price is the second-highest amount since related auction records began in 1999 and is about twice last year’s top price of 114.24 million yen (approximately 1.07 billion won) at the first tuna auction.
The highest historical price was recorded in 2019 at 333.6 million yen (approximately 3.12 billion won).
The president of the company that purchased this year’s highest-priced tuna expressed his thoughts, stating, “Tuna is a symbol of good fortune,” and “I participated in the auction with the hope of making everyone smile through food.”
The president of the Oma Fishing Cooperative commented, “It received a higher evaluation than expected,” and added, “A good start will be encouraging for the fishermen.”
[Photo Source: Kyodo, Reuters=Yonhap News]
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