In Japan, a giant bluefin tuna sold for nearly $1.3 million (€1.26 million) in the first auction of the season at Tokyo’s famous fish market, according to local media.
Onodera Group, a Michelin-starred sushi restaurant, said it paid 207 million yen for the 276 kg (608 lb) fish.
second best selling tuna
Kyodo news agency reported that it was the second-highest amount achieved at an auction on record.
In 2019, a single bluefin tuna was worth as much as $2.1 million – the highest price ever recorded since records began in 1999.
“It was as fat as a cow,” Kyodo quoted 73-year-old fisherman Masahiro Takeuchi as saying.
Tuna fetched only a fraction of its normal selling price in the new year due to restrictions and fewer people dining out due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest big selloff has raised hopes that Japan will continue to emerge from the economic recession.
kb/wd (dpa, AFP)