A bluefin tuna sold for 207 million yen (around $1.3 million) at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market on Sunday, the second-highest price ever recorded since the auction started collecting data in 1999.
Michelin-starred sushi chain operator, Onodera Group, and seafood wholesaler Yamayuki co-purchased the 608-pound (275 kilogram) Bluefin.
The fisherman who caught the motorcycle-sized tuna, 73-year-old Masahiro Takeuchi, told Japan news outlet, KYODO News, that the fish was “as fat as a cow.”
“It’s like a dream. I’m always worried about how many more years I can do this job, but I’m incredibly happy,” he said.
The Onodera Group has won the auction for the last five years.
“The first tuna is meant to bring good fortune,” Onodera Group President Shinji Nagao told reporters after the auction. “Our hope is that by eating this tuna everyone will have a good year.”
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The most expensive tuna went for $3.1 million (333.6 million yen) in 2019 for a 278-kilogram (around 612 pounds). The auction first opened in 1935.
