|
Kimura later told reporters he was hoping to pay a bit less for
it, but “the price shot up before you knew it.”
The auction started when the bell rang, and the floor was filled
with torpedo-shaped fish with their tails cut off so bidders
could examine meat details such as color, texture and fattiness
while walking around the rows of tuna.
The pricey fish was caught off the coast of Oma in northern
Japan, a region widely regarded for producing some of the
country’s finest tuna, and costs 2.1 million yen ($13,360) per
kilogram ($6,060 per pound).
“It’s in part for good luck,” Kimura said. “But when I see a
good looking tuna, I cannot resist ... I haven’t sampled it yet,
but it’s got to be delicious.”
Hundreds of tuna are sold daily at the early morning auction,
but prices are significantly higher than usual for the Oma tuna,
especially at the celebratory New Year auction.
Due to the popularity of tuna for sushi and sashimi, Pacific
bluefin tuna was previously a threatened species due to climate
change and overfishing, but its stock is recovering following
conservation efforts.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved
|
|
