Bluefin Tuna Sells for Record $55,700 in Japan
In Tokyo, Japan, a Hong Kong sushi restaurant owner, at the world’s largest fish market, paid a record $55,700 dollars for a huge bluefin tuna, weighing 276-kilogram (607-pound). The auction bidder was one of many winners in the first auction of 2008 at the Tsukiji market, where approximately 2,904 bluefin tuna were sold.
The massive bluefin tuna was caught off Japan’s northern region of Aomori, fueling the fears of marine biologists that the ever increasing demand for sushi is having a negative impact on the already endangered bluefin tuna population, which is facing the very serious threat of extinction.
In Japan, many sushi lovers hungrily consume approximately 25% of all tuna caught in the world. The demand for more tuna has prompted the local fishing industry to act decisively to propose revision of regulations, aimed at saving the species from extinction.
To the Japanese sushi culture, life without bluefin tuna is meaningless. The consumption of tuna is a multi-billion dollar global business. In Japan, many sushi lovers are extremely devoted to tuna, especially bluefin tuna, which is widely revered as the “king of sushi.”
At the world’s most exclusive restaurants, insatiable appetites for the freshest bluefin tuna have fueled the demand to fish for more tuna. Each day, carefully-packed, custom-made wooden crates of fresh bluefin tuna arrives at Narita airport in Tokyo, from many destinations from around the world.
In less than two days after being caught, the world’s top sushi chefs expertly prepared the fresh fish for sushi lovers, at which point fortunate Japanese customer lovingly caress and sensually stroke the tuna prior to eating. During these conversations (Maguro No Kaiwa), with the King of sushi, a customer encourages the fish to give him or her the best sushi experience prior to him or her eating it. In Japan, bluefin tuna is truly the king of sushi.
Dear Will!
Greetings!
Actually what people don’t know is that Europe consumes 40% of the total world catch and that Spain is the single country with the biggest fish consumption in the world.
As far as Bluefin tuna is concerned, the EU have aloowed a catch quota double of what was originally agreed by the rest of the World, including Japan.
Bluefin Tuna catches actually exceed even EU quotas in Spain, France (my home country) and Italy.
Japan has done extensive search on fish preservation of all species with encouraging results.
I suppose that such groups as Greenpeace, instead of zeroing (for obvious political reasons) on Japanese whalers (who exterminated whales in the 19th Century by the way?), they should concentrate their efforts on those fishermen who throw over 80% of their catch dead back into the sea because their (present) low value, or Chinese fishermen who cut the fins off sharks before throwing them back overboard?
Here in Shizuoka (where I live) sakura shrimp fishermen were the first in Japan and Asia to agreed on a self-imposed quota which saw the shrimp population back to its original size.
Looking forward to your next postings!
Until I will swim around your blog!
Cheers,
Robert-Gilles