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This Tuna Sold for HOW Much?! Bluefin Nets New Record at Tokyo Auction

Jan. 5, 2013 1:31pm
Bluefin Tuna Sells for Record $1.76 million at Tokyo Auction

Winning bidder Kiyoshi Kimura, president of Kiyomura Co. , poses with a bluefin tuna in front of his Sushi-Zanmai restaurant near Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013. The bluefin tuna caught off northeastern Japan fetched a record 155.40 million yen, or about $1,763,000, in the first auction of the year at the fish market. The tuna was caught off Oma in Aomori prefecture. (AP)

A bluefin tuna sold for a record $1.76 million at a Tokyo auction Saturday, blasting last year’s record of $736,000 out of the water.

The 489-pound fish caught off northeastern Japan fetched 155.4 million yen at the first auction of the year at Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market. That works out to about $3,603 per pound of the glistening pink and red meat.

Winning bidder Kiyoshi Kimura, president of Kiyomura Co., which operates sushi restaurant chain Sushi-Zanmai, acknowledged to a Japanese news agency that “the price was a bit high,” but said he wanted to “encourage Japan.” The Japanese eat 80 percent of the bluefin tuna caught worldwide, according to the Associated Press.

Kimura, who set last year’s tuna auction record as well, served the fish to his customers later in the day.

Bluefin Tuna Sells for Record $1.76 million at Tokyo Auction

Kimura slices up the 489-pound bluefin tuna he purchased at record price to serve his customers. (Getty Images)

Environmentalists say stocks of bluefin tuna are on a dangerous decline due to overfishing to meet sushi demand.

“Everything we’re hearing is that there’s no good news for the Pacific Bluefin [species],” Amanda Nickson, director of the Washington-based Pew Environmental Group’s global tuna conservation campaign, told the AP. “We’re seeing a very high value fish continue to be overfished.”

Bluefin Tuna Sells for Record $1.76 million at Tokyo Auction

A block of meat from a 489-pound bluefin tuna, purchased earlier in the day for a record price, is sliced up for customers at sushi restaurant Sushi-Zanmai near Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market on Jan. 5, 2013. (Getty Images)

Bluefin Tuna Sells for Record $1.76 million at Tokyo Auction

A customer selects a piece of fat tuna sushi made from a 489-pound bluefin tuna, purchased earlier in the day for a record price and sliced up for customers at sushi restaurant Sushi-Zanmai near Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market on Jan. 5, 2013. (Getty Images)

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Comments (76)

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  • FISH_BONE
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 4:34pm

    When the GSA goes to Vegas to spend our money, they buy their tuna by the hour, not by the pound.

    Report this comment

    FISH_BONE  
  • MisterSarcastic
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 4:25pm

    ¥. That’s all I have to say about this story.

    Report this comment

    MisterSarcastic  
  • DesdemonasCrew
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 4:24pm

    Now there is a guy who knows how to “tune” a fish.

    Report this comment

    DesdemonasCrew  
  • South Philly Boy
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 4:19pm

    So now I guess I’ll Never get a chance to taste it.

    Report this comment

    South Philly Boy  
    • 4PERCENTER
      Posted on January 7, 2013 at 12:50am

      Typical Japanese culture. It’s not about the taste, it’s about the first tuna of the new year. Fat tuna has more taste than lean tuna. Kiyoshi was just showing off! Most Asians like to flaunt their money. But the ones that are humble would not be caught dead pulling a stunt like this. First, sushi is po’ folks’ food! I mean, look at it! Shushi means “on rice”. You only get about 400 grains of rice on a traditional order of shushi (2 pcs.)! The little slivers of food you get on top, was to the Buddhist monks, a DAY’S MEAL! As a good Buddhist, that is all you should desire…right! WRONG!!! They were just PO’ and trying to deny it! They couldn’t even afford FIRE, which is why about half of the stuff that goes on Sushi is RAW! The rest is marinated or slightly cooked. I’ve had 800 lb tuna from off the Carolinas, where there are still MONSTER tunas. It was only about $80,000. A serving was $18, which was high at the time, but it melts in you mouth like butter!!! It is truly a once in a lifetime experience (OK, at $18, more than once in a lifetime)! The serving you see on this sight probably sold for $300 a pop! That covers the cost of the fish, and the extras with the meal are PROFIT! Japanese will spend $600-$1200 easy, just to say they had some, PLUS extras, at least equal to the Super Toro! Kiyoshi made a good business decision, and a KILLING!

      Report this comment

      4PERCENTER  
    • Speak2Truth
      Posted on January 8, 2013 at 3:20pm

      4PERCENTER – historically speaking, lobster was also poor man’s food, something the fishermen would eat for sustenance. Civilized people with money would not touch the stuff. Eventually, spreading demand for this cheap, abundant crustacean led to commercial trapping, reducing the quantity and size of lobsters as they did not get to reach a ripe old age. This drove up the price and a higher price indicated a higher value product and voila! Rich man’s food!

      Just like the sushi. Endangered, scarce fish like the tuna in this story are now rich man’s food.

      Report this comment

      Speak2Truth  
  • OlefromMN
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 4:19pm

    That thing has nothing on Charlie. Who’s the best tasting? Yea that’s right fat boy tuna! Who’s your daddy!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-Wy_BRFElc

    Report this comment

    OlefromMN  
  • jimmymac1
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 4:06pm

    I guess it is all relative, a two square foot condo in Japan sells for the same exact amount.

    Report this comment

    jimmymac1  
  • Apple Bite
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 3:50pm

    Mmmm, look at that red juicy tender meat….

    Report this comment

    Apple Bite  
  • thegodfather
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 3:49pm

    Oh crap….those failed Whale War pinheads will be trying to protect the tuna next.

    Report this comment

    thegodfather  
  • lassiegirldawn
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 3:48pm

    After eating that tuna, you will glow in the dark.

    Report this comment

    lassiegirldawn  
    • Bugleboy99
      Posted on January 5, 2013 at 4:36pm

      Ha! I wanted to make Hubby a tuna sandwich for lunch but I used home-canned chicken instead. Mighty tasty and superior to mercury saturated tuna.

      Report this comment

      Bugleboy99  
  • truthnstuff
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 3:38pm

    When I mix Mayo, onions, celery with the tuna I can’t tell the difference between $1 or $100,000.

    Report this comment

    truthnstuff  
    • FISH_BONE
      Posted on January 5, 2013 at 4:44pm

      Why would you ruin perfectly good food by mixing it with onions and celery?

      Report this comment

      FISH_BONE  
  • psadie
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 3:28pm

    Yuck, the waters there still have radiation and so do the fish, polar bears and seals.

    Report this comment

    psadie  
    • redogfirebird
      Posted on January 5, 2013 at 3:49pm

      Hahahaha! Good one PSADIE! I was looking for some where to go to find Polar Bears so now I know I need to go to Japan to find them! You must be listening to the same people that were protesting oil drilling off the coast of Kivilina because they said it would disrupt the Caribou migration! I think only the easily fooled people believe Caribou migrate across the ocean! Maybe they use water wings! Hahaha
      On a serious note, I don’t think I would eat Tuna caught off the coast of Japan for a while yet either for the same reason but please don’t go overboard, peace

      Report this comment

      redogfirebird  
    • RedHarley
      Posted on January 5, 2013 at 4:22pm

      I agree with not eating the tuna right now……..BUT, a nice Polar Bear tenderloin sounds yummy.

      Report this comment

      RedHarley  
    • christhefanatic
      Posted on January 5, 2013 at 8:17pm

      Bite of tuna…don’t swallow…return to US…sell on ebay.

      Report this comment

      christhefanatic  
  • blanco5
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 3:20pm

    I could use a tuna fish sandwich right about now.

    Report this comment

    blanco5  
  • LimaBean
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 3:18pm

    bleh, don’t like bluefin, the taste is too strong. Prefer albacore.

    Report this comment

    LimaBean  
  • WildschweinJager
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 2:59pm

    Something sounds fishy here…..

    Report this comment

    WildschweinJager  
  • The_Almighty_Creestof
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 2:57pm

    Maybe we can get them hooked on a new fish species…like “Welfare-Tuna”…it will have a little more fat than they are used to and a slight bruise below the hairline…but if served with enough soy sauce it should still be quite tasty.

    Best part? It won’t cost $5000.00 a pound…in fact, we’ll pay them to take them off of our hands.

    We’ll worry about the morals when they are also an “endangered species.”

    Report this comment

    The_Almighty_Creestof  
  • lassiegirldawn
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 2:56pm

    Off of the coast of Japan, do they realize how much radiation is in that fish?????

    Report this comment

    lassiegirldawn  
  • AmericaMustBeFree
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 2:21pm

    The guy has more money than sense!! Oh well, its his money!

    Report this comment

    AmericaMustBeFree  
    • skimmer57
      Posted on January 5, 2013 at 4:12pm

      The only reson this fish is so expensive is that when they cut it open they found it had eaten three pairs of Beck’s$129.99 blue jeans!

      Report this comment

      skimmer57  
    • FISH_BONE
      Posted on January 5, 2013 at 4:30pm

      SKIMMER: You really are an A-hole; however, that comment was funny.

      Report this comment

      FISH_BONE  
  • woodyee
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 2:14pm

    I think there is a market for restaurants selling endangered species meat. I mean, there is such profligate LYING about “rare” species – either for the prevention of progress, profit, politics, or false devaluation of property value for expediting faster and/or cheaper sales or any combination of these – and a lot of those species are really quite abundant.

    Let’s see – A bag of Sacramento Valley Delta Smelt, dried and lightly salted (sea-salt, of course) crusted in sea-weed, to munch with beer; whole-roasted Spotted Owl braised with a light rosemary-garlic sauce and served on a bed of buttered spinach; Boneless Kangaroo Rat Soup served in a piping hot beef-broth with Asian noodles, and bean-sprouts, basil and lemon slices on the side (add a few drops of Sriracha sauce – mmmmwa!)…

    Report this comment

    woodyee  
  • Stevsea
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 2:11pm

    Shop Rite’s can can sale this week is selling this stuff for $.59/can.

    Report this comment

    Stevsea  
  • stopprintn
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 2:08pm

    Wonder what they will pay for some canned bullheads ?

    Report this comment

    stopprintn  
  • crackerone
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 1:59pm

    The tuna and a side of Kobe beef were headed for Hawaii, before the auction ended.

    Report this comment

    crackerone  
  • TJexcite
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 1:56pm

    When Tuna goes for that much, one just has to wonder how much Whale meat or Shark Fin goes for. Have they kept that market so under ground that the price has not gone so far out that you are buying it by the ounce like drugs. Can those that want whale meat can still find it and that market is now small that the cost is not astronomical.

    Report this comment

    TJexcite  
    • Tal-El
      Posted on January 5, 2013 at 2:11pm

      Actually whale meat is quite readily available in Japan in season (just about now) for a reasonable price. I’ve had it many times. It’s black and tastes kind of like liver.

      Report this comment

      Tal-El  
    • Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
      Posted on January 5, 2013 at 2:40pm

      I’ve had whale and seal meat. Yuck, they can have it all.

      Report this comment

      Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra  
  • woodyee
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 1:50pm

    Nice blade (2nd photo from the bottom). I like the thick tang! I wonder how much those 2 slices of sushi sold for?

    “Everything we’re hearing is that there’s no good news for the Pacific Bluefin [species],” Amanda Nickson, director of the Washington-based Pew Environmental Group’s global tuna conservation campaign, told the AP. – Well sweetheart, that’s probably because the only bad news we hear comes from you.

    What ISN’T the Pew organization involved in?

    Report this comment

    woodyee  
    • Lt_Scrounge
      Posted on January 5, 2013 at 4:27pm

      <>

      Anything productive that will actually improve the quality of life for anyone but themselves?

      Report this comment

      Lt_Scrounge  
  • banjarmon
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 1:39pm

    Sorry Charlie RIP!!!

    Report this comment

    banjarmon  
  • TIMEBOMB
    Posted on January 5, 2013 at 1:36pm

    As your Marxist gay ruler I have an aversion to tuna.

    Report this comment

    TIMEBOMB  
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