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When arriving in Tokyo,
the bluefin, bigeye and yellowfin tuna are trucked to the Tsukiji
fish market, one of the world's largest, and laid out for auction
(below). Similar auction markets are located in Osaka and Sendai.
The auction is conducted early in the morning with great speed.
Wholesalers resell the fish to brokers who cut them up into
smaller, more manageable pieces for delivery to restaurants.
Check the current Market Prices for Tuna at Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, Japan.
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The large bluefin tuna above was caught
off the coast of California by a small San Pedro fishing vessel.
It was cleaned immediately, iced just after docking, packaged
and flown directly to Tokyo. The fish was auctioned at Tsukiji
fish market for US$32 per pound. |
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Here is a copy of an article written about a recent high
point at the Tusukiji Auction:
Giant
tuna sells for record amount at Tokyo auction.
Bluefin fetches close to US$175,000.
By Associated
Press
Jan. 5 —
WorldCatch News Network — A bluefin tuna sold for
a record 20.2 million yen (dlrs 173,688.73) on Friday in
the first auction of the year at Tokyo’s main fish
market, an official said.
At 100,000 yen
per kilogram (dlrs 390.83 per pound), the 202-kilogram fish
was the most expensive sold at the Tsukiji Central Fish
Market since 1996.
That year a
114-kilogram (250-pound) bluefin fetched 5.13 million yen
(dlrs 44,111.06), or 45,000 yen per kilogram (dlrs 175.88
per pound).
Called honmaguro
in Japanese, the tuna can grow to three meters (10 feet)
long and weigh as much as 300 kilograms (660 pounds). They
are served raw as sashimi or sushi in restaurants where
an assortment of slices can bring a bill of more than 10,000
yen (dlrs 100).
Both the current
and the previous record-setting fish were caught in the
Pacific Ocean off Aomori Prefecture (state) in northern
Japan, an area known for the quality of its tuna.
“It’s
kind of like a brand name,” said market official Takashi
Yoshida.
Yoshida declined
to identify the buyer, but speculated that he may have been
willing to pay a premium because the fish auctioned Friday
was the first catch to be put on the block this year.
Tusukiji is
the largest of Tokyo’s 11 wholesale fish markets,
handling about 90 percent of all marine products that end
up on the city’s tables.
Tuna Nets USD 35,000 in Tokyo's First 2007 Auction
Japan Monday, January 08,2007, 1300 (GMT+9)
It may be the year of the pig, but the tuna is still king in Japan
where a bluefin netted USD 35,000-more than the price of a new car-in
the first auction of 2007 at the Tsukiji fish market on Friday.
The most expensive sale of the day at the world's largest fish market
was a tuna weighing 206.6 kilograms (454.5 pounds) which fetched JPY
4.13 million, or JPY 20,000 per kilogram, before heading for sushi bars
across the capital.
Japan eats a quarter of the world's tuna, more than any other country,
but faces pressure from enviromentalists who have blamed the global fad
for Japanese food for bringing tuna numbers to the brink of extinction.
An international commission in November reduced the world's gross catch
of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean from 32,000 tonnes this year to
29,500 tonnes for 2007, a move likely to lead to an import crunch in
Japan.
Japan has also accepted a major cut in its quota for southern bluefin tuna in the Pacific Ocean as punishment for overfishing.
But the first bluefin tuna bidding of this year was no big surprise
compared with recent years, according to sushi restaurant chain
Kiyomura, which bought the 35,000-dollar tuna.
"The price of bluefin tuna was about average," said Kiyomura spokesman
Masaki Kimura. "But the end prices of tuna, especially southern bluefin
tuna and bigeye tuna, seem to be already soaring these days."
"As long as consumers demand tuna, I think the price will go up much higher," he said.
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Sashimi grade Marlin |
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Premium Sashimi Tuna |
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In Japanese restaurants, late season
jumbo maguro, as the giant bluefin is called, sells
for as much as $20 for a two-bite serving. Belly meat
commands a premium |
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Smokey at the Osaka Auction |
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