A huge tuna reportedly sold for almost $800,000 Friday at an annual auction in Japan.
The bluefin tuna sold for $789,000, the fourth-highest price since record-keeping started in 1999, in the New Year’s auction at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market, Kyodo News reported.
In a fourth highest-ever bid, a bluefin tuna sold for around 114.24 million yen ($789,000) at the annual New Year auction held by Tokyo’s largest fish market pic.twitter.com/OXT4BxK8zZ
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 5, 2024
Wholesaler company Yamayuki and the operating company of the Sushi Ginza Onodera restaurant bought the 524.7-pound fish, which was caught off the coast of Oma in the Aomori Prefecture of northeastern Japan, in a joint purchase for bidders to buy at the auction, according to the outlet.
“I’d been feeling that the economy was getting better, so I thought the bidding would reach 100 million yen,” Yukitaka Yamaguchi, president of Yamayuki, said. “The decisive factor was the tuna’s freshness and vibrant color. We are thankful to the fishermen who braved the cold to catch it.”
Bidding on several tuna displayed at the popular tourist location began as early as 5:10 a.m., the outlet reported. Buyers and sellers exchanged in transactions for the popular fish. The Yamayuki president expressed initial hesitance regarding the event due to the devastating earthquake in Japan earlier this week. (RELATED: Man Catches A Record 876-Pound Tuna)
“We had mixed feelings about whether we should refrain from participating, but we decided to go for it in the belief that we also need positive news,” Yamaguchi said.
Meat purchased by Yamayuki and the Sushi Ginza Onodera operator is set to be sold at Tokyo grocery stores as well, according to the outlet.