Pacific Bluefin Fish Sells for Historic Price of $3.2 million at Tokyo Auction

A massive Pacific bluefin tuna made headlines at the Toyosu fish market this Monday, garnering a record-breaking bid of 510.3 million yen ($3.2 million; £2.4m) during the market's first auction of the calendar year.

The winning bid for the 535-pound fish was placed by the operator of a nationwide sushi chain, which runs restaurants throughout Japan and abroad.

"The year's tuna signals a prosperous start," remarked the entrepreneur, a notable bidder at the yearly new year's auction.

Referred to as the Tuna King, this entrepreneur is famous for making substantial bids for bluefin tuna at these symbolic year-opening auctions.

Bidding Surprise and Record-Setting Past

After the auction, the winner admitted to reporters that he was "surprised at the amount," adding, "I believed we would be able to acquire it a little for less, but the price escalated before you knew it."

This new acquisition exceeds his own record purchases:

• He secured a tuna for 56.5 million yen back in 2012.
• He paid 155 million yen in 2013.
• In 2019, he acquired a tuna for 333.6 million yen ($2.1 million).

Even after once remarking that he thought he "did too much," he has now proceeded to shatter his personal record another time.

A Tradition of Exorbitant Bids

The inaugural auction at the Toyosu fish market is traditionally associated with exorbitant prices. Last year, the first tuna was acquired for 207 million yen by a separate sushi chain operator, which stated the fish would be available at its locations across Japan.

The frenetic atmosphere at the fish market during these pre-dawn auctions has evolved into a must-see event in Tokyo. Monday's auction, which started around 05:00 local time, was no exception.

Swift Service

The extremely valuable tuna was shortly thereafter processed for diners at the bidder's sushi chains shortly after the auction was finished.

"I feel like I've started the year in a auspicious way after tasting something so lucky as the year begins," shared one happy diner.