Bluefin tuna is renowned as one of the top-class tuna and one of the most prized fish in the Japanese restaurant industry. This expensive high-grade fish is usually served in top-notch sushi and sashimi restaurants in Japan. Aside from its rich nutritional value, the tasty natural flavor is a must-try!
Table of Contents
- A Country for Seafood Lovers
- Bluefin Tuna in Japan
- Interesting Facts about Bluefin Tuna in Japan
- Takeaway
A Country for Seafood Lovers
Are you a health-conscious person? Are you an avid seafood lover? Or are you tired of your usual meat diet and do you want to taste some fresh seafood? If so, then you would certainly fall in love with Japan - one of the leading suppliers of fish and other seafood in the world. Because in Japan, fish and seafood have always been part of their culture and staple diet.
World-renowned Fish Market
Japan is a country surrounded by an ocean and rich in different bodies of water. These environmental features provide Japan an abundant source of marine and aquatic produce like fish which is why Japan is famous for being a seafood country and a leading supplier of aquatic products in the world.
Japan is also home to the world’s largest wholesale fish market - the Tsukiji Fish Market. Tsukiji has been one of the favorite tourist destinations in Tokyo, and seeing locals and tourists flood the market was a common sight every day. Recently, due to the Olympics, the fish market was moved to Toyosu. However, many people still love to visit Tsukiji to try out some tasty sushi and other seafood dishes in the shops and restaurants still there.
Home to Expensive Fish
Tsukiji, or now Toyosu Fish Market is also renowned for its abundant supply of exotic and expensive fish. A great example of this is the sought-after Pacific bluefin tuna. In fact, the fish market is known for its famous tuna auction. And we are not talking about some petty bidding here; we are referring to some bigtime auction that costs millions of dollars. These auctions are so grandiose that they are usually included in world headlines.
Japanese and Their Love for Seafood
As a maritime country, Japan has abundant marine resources. This is why Japanese people are more into seafood than other Western countries who are more fond of other meat products. The Japanese people have been used to eating seafood or incorporating these aquatic products into their dishes because, aside from its availability, Japanese are known to be health-conscious people. And fish and seafood are proven to have many health benefits and a great source of some vitamins and minerals. We also cannot disregard the fact as well that fish and seafood dishes are undeniably delicious, so it is no surprise that many Japanese and other nationalities have fallen in love with them. And even if you aren’t keen on sushi and raw seafood, there are a large variety of cooked Japanese seafood dishes that are equally as delicious.
Writer's Pick
Bluefin Tuna in Japan
Average Cost of Tuna
You can buy tuna in Japanese markets at varying prices depending on the time of the year, the part of the fish, and the place you are buying it. Certain parts of tuna are more expensive than other parts, while some regions in Japan offer tuna at a lesser price than the others. However, you can usually purchase a pound of bluefin tuna for $20 to $40 (so roughly 2000 to 4000 yen), especially on the eastern coast. If you are in the northern part of Japan, though, where the bluefin tuna is a prized delicacy, a pound of tuna could cost you about $200-400 (or roughly 20,000-40,000 yen).
※ Smithsonian Magazine, "Threatened Bluefin Tuna Sells for Record $3 Million in New Year’s Sale"
Why so Expensive?
There are a couple of factors affecting the high price of bluefin tuna. Some of these factors are the following:
Supply and Demand
Tuna meat is incredibly expensive , especially in high-end restaurants, because it is one of the most sought-after fish meats. Tuna is used in dishes like sushi, a famous dish combining raw fish over rice in Japanese cuisine, making the demand for the meat higher. However, the supply for tuna meat decreases every year, so buyers tend to bid for higher prices to purchase this delicious meat to keep their menu complete.
Rarity
Pacific bluefin tunas in the wild are rapidly decreasing every year because of some irresponsible and uncontrolled fishing activities in the past. For this reason, tunas have become rarer, and supplies have been declining, but the demand remains high. The rarity of tunas is one of the major reasons why this sought-after fish meat has maintained its high cost all year round, not just in Japan, but in other parts of the globe as well.
Meat Quality and Flavor
One undeniable and reasonable factor affecting the price of tuna is its superior and premium meat quality and flavor. Among all fish, only bluefin tuna have an intense marbling, and the meat of a mature enough tuna is said to have a great balance of flavors. This remarkable meat quality makes bluefin tuna a favorite in high-end restaurants, with each person having a preference as to which part of the tuna they like best.
Where to Buy?
You can buy bluefin tuna in different fish markets in Japan. However, it is not available all the time depending on the season and the supply and demand. There are fish markets as well that hold tuna auctions every year where you can see how much people are willing to spend in order to purchase this favorite fish meat. Aside from the famous Toyosu Fish Market, other markets that hold tuna auctions include the ones in Ota and Adachi.
Interesting Facts about Bluefin Tuna in Japan
Record-setting Auction Price
Bluefin tunas are priced extremely high during auctions especially at the start of the year. The first highest price at tuna auctions was recorded in 2013 after a 489-pound tuna was sold for $1.78 million. Years later, the record was topped over after the sale of a large tuna for $3.1 million in 2019. Interestingly, the first tuna auction of 2020 this year marked the second-highest record of $1.8 million in sales.
※ Business Insider, "A fish in Japan just sold for a record $3 million — here's why bluefin tuna is so expensive" ※ Science X, "Record $3.1 million paid in New Year's tuna auction at Japan's new market" ※ Reuters, "Tuna sells for $1.8 million in first Tokyo auction of 2020, second highest ever"
What is more interesting is that these record highs are all paid by the same person - Kiyoshi Kimura, an owner and president of a sushi restaurant chain in Japan. It has been said that people like Kimura resort to paying such a high price for tunas in order to maintain a world reputation and as a status symbol. Every year, Kimura’s restaurant is put in the news headlines around the world because of his expensive purchases of tuna, thus granting his restaurant exposure and fame across the world.
Fisheries trends and new policy implementation
A piece of alarming news is that the Pacific bluefin tuna are facing extinction and their number in the wild is decelerating every year. Compared to before, fishermen can catch an average of 25 tuna a day but these days, their catch is decreasing. The reason behind this is overfishing and overconsumption in the past years.
The good news is Japan, the leading consumer of tunas in the world has taken significant measures in order to stop this from happening. The Fisheries Agency in Japan has implemented new rules, regulations, and guidelines in order to improve their fishing practices - a new system to combat the problem and effectively restore the Pacific bluefin tuna species. One rule that they strictly implemented is to never catch a tuna that hasn’t reached its spawning age. - they have to wait for the fish to mature first before capturing them. A fishery in Japan even obtained the very first sustainable bluefin tuna fishing certification in the world and the bluefin tuna population recovery has been gradual but apparent..
Critics are unsure whether these measures are enough as overfishing is still a problem as well as illegal fishing. Japan has asked for the annual quota on bluefin tuna fishing to be expanded as the world waits to see if the bluefin tuna population will successfully recover to international standards as the result of worldwide measures in the industry.
※ Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, "FY2016 Trends in Fisheries - FY2017 Fisheries Policy," p.6
Takeaway
The Japanese authorities have taken serious measures to counteract the falling population of pacific bluefin tuna. So rest assured that the tuna you buy and order in Japan at proper restaurants fall under the necessary protocols. Pacific bluefin tunas are one of the pride of Japanese cuisine. And your Japanese food experience will be more complete if you have a taste of this world-class fish meat, should that be something you want to try. Have you tried a raw bluefin tuna before? If not, it might be trickier to find than before, but you will be most likely to find it at a high-end sushi restaurant in Japan! Keep looking!
