At the first auction of the new year at Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market, a world record for tuna was set when a Sushi mogul purchased a 269kg blue fin tuna for just shy of $2800 a kilo. For those doing the math that works out to about $736 000.00 US.
The astounding price was up $300 000 from last years record of $412 000.
“Japan has been through a lot the last year due to the disaster,” he told AP Television News. “Japan needs to hang in there. So I tried hard myself and ended up buying the most expensive one.”
He said he wanted to keep the fish in Japan, rather than let it get taken overseas. Further, despite the high costs, the chain will sell the tuna at its regular prices as a show of good will. If sold at market value, each piece of tuna could fetch upwards of $96 apiece. Instead, the chain will sell each piece for $5.45 – a scant $90 off, while supplies last.
“It is an auspicious occasion, so we bought the tuna without any thought of making a profit,” said Hiroshi Umehara, spokesman for privately-held Kiyomura.
Thanks to The Financial Times and World Fishing and Aquaculture for this one.