A 278kg bluefin tuna has sold for a record 333.6 million yen (£2.5m) in the first auction of the new year in Tokyo’s new fish market. A 278kg bluefin tuna has sold for a record 333.6 million yen (£2.5m) in the first auction of the new year in Tokyo’s new fish market. Japanese are the biggest consumers of the torpedo-shaped bluefin tuna, and surging consumption here and overseas has led to overfishing of the species. “The celebration surrounding the annual Pacific bluefin auction hides how deeply in trouble this species really is,” said Jamie Gibbon, associate manager for global tuna conservation at The Pew Charitable Trusts. Decades-old Tsukiji was one of Japan’s most popular tourist destinations as well as the world’s biggest fish market.

Source: Irish Independent January 05, 2019 03:22 UTC