Giant bluefin tuna the size of a motorcycle sells for $1.3 million in Tokyo

The highest bidder at a Tokyo seafood market said he paid $1.3 million for a tuna on Sunday, the second-highest price ever paid at a prestigious New Year’s auction.

Michelin-starred sushi catering company Onodera Group said it paid 207 million yen for the 608-pound bluefin tuna, which is about the size and weight of a motorcycle.

It is the second-highest price paid at the opening auction of the year at Tokyo’s main seafood market since comparable data began being collected in 1999.

The powerful buyers have now paid the highest price for five years in a row – securing bragging rights and lucrative media attention in Japan.

“The first tuna is said to bring good luck,” Onodera official Shinji Nagao told reporters after the auction. “We want people to eat this and have a wonderful year.”

The Onodera Group paid 114 million yen for the top tuna last year.

However, the highest auction price ever was 333.6 million yen for one 612 pound bluefin tuna in 2019when the fish market moved from its traditional Tsukiji area to a modern facility in nearby Toyosu.

The record bid was made by self-proclaimed “Tuna King” Kiyoshi Kimura, who runs the national restaurant chain Sushi Zanmai.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, New Year’s tuna fetched a fraction of their usual peak prices as the public was discouraged from eating out and restaurants were open on limited terms.

Pacific bluefin tuna is the largest species of tuna in the Pacific. Adults reach nearly 10 feet in length and weigh 1,000 pounds.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the Pacific bluefin tuna as endangered. However, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the fish population has increased in recent years. An assessment released in June found that Pacific bluefin tuna “exceeded international targets a decade ahead of schedule,” NOAA said.