In Japan, an enormous bluefin tuna sold for around $1.3 million (€1.26 million) in the first auction of the season at Tokyo’s famed fish market according to local media.
Michelin-starred sushi restaurateurs, the Onodera Group said they paid 207 million yen for the 276 kilogram (608 pound) fish.
Second-highest selling tuna
Kyodo news agency reported that it was the second-highest amount to be achieved at auction on record.
In 2019, a bluefin tuna fetched the equivalent of $2.1 million — the highest price ever recorded since 1999 when records began.
“It was as fat as a cow,” Kyodo quoted 73-year-old fisherman Masahiro Takeuchi as saying.
The Covid-19 pandemic saw new year tunas garner only a fraction of their typical selling prices amid restrictions and fewer people dining out.
The latest big sale has raised hopes Japan will continue to recover from the economic downturn.
