First Bluefin Tuna sells for $70,000 at Tsukiji Fish Auction

Written by:
Hans Kruit, 5 January 2014

*Disclaimer: early news reports are in Japanese and Google translate is not great. Will verify and update as more information is made available*

In an unexpected turn, the first Bluefin Tuna auctioned at the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, sold for approximately $70,000, a dramatic drop from the record breaking $1.8 million. The buyer, Kiyoshi Kimura, is the same man who won the auction in 2011, 2012, and 2013. This is a radical change from previous years and may symbolize a shift back to actual market value, rather than “auction-as-performance” to drive up the demand for Bluefin Tuna.

It should be noted that even the $70,000 price tag is unaccountably high. The price for Bluefin Tuna in Japan peaked at $34 per kilogram in 1990 and has been in decline (with occasional fluctuations) since. At that price, a 350 kilogram fish would only sell for -$12,000. This year’s first fish appears to have weighed 230 kilograms.

source: southernfriedscience.com

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