$396,000 Bluefin Tuna
A really big bluefin tuna fetched a record price at Tsukiji fish market’s first auction of the year:
A giant bluefin tuna fetched a record 32.49 million yen, or nearly $396,000, in Tokyo on Wednesday, in the first auction of the year at the world’s largest wholesale fish market.
With the ringing of bells well before dawn, an auctioneer launched into a rapid chant as rubber-boot wearing men signaled subtly with their hands.
The price for the 754-pound tuna beat the previous record set in 2001 when a 445-pound fish sold for 20.2 million yen, a spokesman for Tsukiji market said.
Although the fish is a really big one, the price is not meant to reflect the actual value of the animal. Getting the highest bid at first auctions is more about showing off, and high profile bidders often compete for the honor and attention that comes with paying a ridiculous amount of money for the first tuna.
As a previous auction, the winners of the bid were a team led by the owner of a Hong Kong sushi chain:
For a fourth straight year, Ricky Cheng Wai-tao landed the biggest catch on the first day of auction at Tsukiji fish market.
The 342-kilogram monster sold for 32.49 million yen (HK$3.07 million) to Cheng, who owns the Itamae Sushi chain in Hong Kong, and his partners, the Japanese owners of Ginza district restaurant Kyubey.
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