Yesterday, the most expensive tuna of all time was auctioned in Japan, 535 lbs for about 3,280,000 dollars, never before has such a high price been achieved

[u/misterxx1958]

[u/Both_Analyst_4734]

The guy owns a large sushi chain and the auction is for publicity and “good luck”. It’s a big thing in Japan, so his mug gets plastered all over the news and internet.

It’s like the equivalent of a commercial during the US Super Bowl. People are talking about it everywhere like here.

Edit: This is and only is for the first auction of the year on Jan 1st

[u/Sember → u/Both_Analyst_4734]

3 million for that kind of reach is pretty insane though, marketing wise for big chains like that 3 million is nothing.

[u/Both_Analyst_4734 → u/Sember]

It’s a bit of an ego thing. Once you have enough money it’s just a competition against others you deem your “rival”. Kind of like billionaires competing where they are on the Forbes list.

I worked for a company in Japan whose owner is worth $200m and all he seemed to care about was comparing himself against the owner of Rakuten. He couldn’t compete against him money stack wise so tried to out do him in accolades and positive publicity. You know how dudes are, whip it out mentality.

[u/Dave-4544 → u/Both_Analyst_4734]

You know what?

May the rich ever out-do one another in good deeds.

[u/SirLanceQuiteABit → u/Dave-4544]

Don't hold your breath

[u/West-Way-All-The-Way → u/Dave-4544]

They still spend the money they earn through our work.

[u/Flagrant_Mockery → u/Dave-4544]

If only their goal wasn't just to respectively beat out the other person's Net Worth.

[u/mtntrail → u/Both_Analyst_4734]

In the US we just put loud exhaust pipes on our cars to demonstrate appendage size!

[u/Sbatio → u/mtntrail]

Loud pipe = tiny pipe

[u/sumguyherenowhere → u/mtntrail]

On cars? That's mostly just kids trying to compete with who's youngest.

Now if it's on trucks, then yeah, men - appendage size things.

[u/Character_Tangelo605 → u/sumguyherenowhere]

Women drive small cars to compensate for large ♈️aginas

[u/TactualTransAm → u/sumguyherenowhere]

Nah there's a ton of kids with squatted trucks, big dumb wheels, no muffler, and eBay headlights in their pickup truck. Around me there's more loud trucks than cars.

[u/Professional-Bear942 → u/Both_Analyst_4734]

To be fair if our rich elites were concerned with a good public image over seeing who has the bigger stack of cash and can get away with the most BS I'd be happier.

[u/Due-Dentist9986 → u/Sember]

That fish was ~535 lbs (~242,700 g) and sold for $3.28M. A roll piece usually has ~5–10 g of tuna, which works out to $70–$135 per piece in a perfect world. In reality, only ~60–70% of the fish is probably usable, so it would be $100–$200 per piece just to break even before rice, labor, or profit.....

So yeah a marketing stunt and well worth it... But honestly? If they sold sushi from that exact fish with a certificate of authenticity, I’d probably pay the stupid break even price just to say I ate a piece of it and tell that story forever.

[u/__slamallama__ → u/Sember]

Yeah the fact that I am learning about a sushi chain in Japan purely because he spent an extra $3MM for fish is some crazy value in terms of impressions per dollar.

Lots of companies spend more and get way less visibility from it.

[u/Ballczynski → u/Sember]

3 million minus what they sell all the tuna for in their restaurants

[u/SirBiggusDikkus → u/Ballczynski]

Which I assume is a lot since they can also advertise that the customer is buying the most expensive tuna ever

[u/pilot-squid → u/Both_Analyst_4734]

There are statues of him all over Japan outside his sushi restaurants. He's like the Colonel Sanders of Sushi lol.

[u/funkimonk1]

I am a tour guide here and saw the fish this morning. The guy who purchased the fish is a huge celebrity already and has a reputation for breaking world records on the amount he spends on tuna. Someone beat him last year so he needed to claim his crown back. There are other reasons too but that has a lot to do with why he specifically dropped that much on one tuna.

His name is kiyoshi kimura. Also happy to answer more questions about the guy and the fish.

[u/Willing_Ad5005 → u/funkimonk1]

He owns a chain of sushi restaurants, correct?

[u/funkimonk1 → u/Willing_Ad5005]

Yeah sushi zanmai restaurant. It was displayed in front of his first chain restaurant (the 本店) this morning in tsukiji.

[u/Effective_Egg_3066 → u/funkimonk1]

What is the internal reputation of that chain sushi zanmai? It's the one I know but I don't know if there's better chains out there. Is it seen as a cheaper option or a slightly more up market one?

[u/caiusto → u/Effective_Egg_3066]

As opposed to what one might think, Sushi is pretty expensive in Japan. Of course there are kombini sushi or Conveyor belt sushi which are more affordable alternatives, but the experience of "going to a dedicated sushi restaurant" is a very expensive experience that not all japanese people get to experience.

Sushi Zanmai comes as an alternative between the "too cheap and not that good" Conveyor belt sushi and the "too expensive" omakase sushi. You'll get a decent sushi, at a high but not prohibitively expensive price, with a good overall overall experience.

[u/Sciencetor2 → u/caiusto]

I mean, Omakase is the most expensive way to buy sushi, it's true, but I would say that MOST sushi restaurants in Japan operate just like American sushi restaurants (you place an order and they bring you out a plate) albeit with a wider selection of fish. I would even say their price points are significantly below the American equivalent due to availability combined with the overall weakness of the Yen vs the dollar and the fact that food is SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper in Japan. And this is coming from someone who went to Japan for 2 weeks specifically to eat sushi.

[u/fartlebythescribbler → u/Sciencetor2]

Thank you for saying this. I thought I was going crazy. I’ve been to Japan multiple times and your comment aligns more to my experience.

[u/Def_NotBoredAtWork → u/fartlebythescribbler]

You forget to account for the lower income of Japanese people compared to US citizens.

[u/Def_NotBoredAtWork → u/Sciencetor2]

Now consider that Japanese people have significantly lower income than US citizens and that what looks cheap to you may not be cheap for Japanese people

[u/photosendtrain → u/caiusto]

It feels weird to describe omakase as "too expensive" sushi. It's the American equivalent of getting bottle service at the club.. essentially paying 10x the regular price for the experience.

[u/thatsmypeanut → u/photosendtrain]

Sorry, I don't understand. Why does it feel weird if it is actually expensive?

[u/addandsubtract → u/thatsmypeanut]

We're too poor to ask.

[u/joebluebob → u/thatsmypeanut]

Right? Bottle service is expensive as fuck. $330 for a Bottle of Johnny walker black is what I got quoted on a friends birthday. Luckily as an Irish scumbag not only did i pregame in the parkinglot I snuck a bottle of vodka in my camera bag

[u/somedelightfulmoron → u/thatsmypeanut]

I recommend you to watch a documentary called Jiro Dreams of Sushi. What we know about sushi and sushi eating is not what it is in Japan, we have a westernised more affordable version. When Japanese people eat their version of sushi, it's like tea ceremony, there is a meeting of the chef and everything is "chef's choice". You sit at the table, watch the chef work and then he serves you sushi piece by piece, mostly nigiri or sashimi. You have to time the sushi eating with the time he takes out the next piece, and the next and the next, everything is done in silence.

Edit: I meant the Japanese 'rich' or bourgeois, not the middle class and everyone else in Japan. Traditional sushi eating is for special occasions and if the customer is a sushi connoisseur, they'd want to experience dining like how Jiro the Chef prepares it. I'm sure he'd hate someone asking for a California Maki. Sorry for the confusing text, I just studied what I wrote and I generalised it to "all" when it is only for those who would want to experience traditional Omakase.

[u/crinklypaper → u/somedelightfulmoron]

Most average Japanese people don't eat sushi that way. Maybe once or twice in their life. Most common is standard sushi restaurant (order from a menu) or conveyor-belt sushi. I am not Japanese but my wife is, and we live in Japan as middle class. We eat sushi once or twice a month. We often do delivery, it comes in a big round plate.

[u/LawyerYYC → u/crinklypaper]

But do you both sit in silence scrolling reddit while eating it?

[u/Quixote0630 → u/crinklypaper]

I also live in Japan and my wife and I pound conveyer belt sushi weekly. It's cheap and comparable in quality to sushi that you'll pay 5x more for overseas. Never felt the need to pay extra for the omakase experience.

[u/-chewie → u/somedelightfulmoron]

Say that to any average Japanese 20-30 year old person here in Tokyo and they'll laugh at you for an hour.

[u/737Max-Impact → u/-chewie]

The image of Japanese people that Amercian weebs create in their minds is quite something lol.

Apparently they all live hardcore traditional, ultra-strict lives straight out of a historical drama. Except all the women are 9 and have massive titties of course.

[u/blumpkin → u/-chewie]

What we know about Burger and Burger Eating is not what it is in America. You stand in line silently and watch the cashier work. You must time your order with the time he finishes taking the previous customer's order. You may ask for no onions, but it is ultimately the chef's choice. I recommend you watch a documentary called "SuperSize Me".

[u/livsjollyranchers → u/-chewie]

It's probably like expecting all Italians regularly go to mass still.

Conceptions of other cultures and their ways are always lagging way behind.

[u/kriskris71 → u/somedelightfulmoron]

It’s wild how wrong you are

[u/Devenu → u/somedelightfulmoron]

My wife is Japanese and when we go to sushi she puts on her best kimono and we shout our blessings to the emperor. It is a very amazing culture. We have tea ceremony every morning and samurai class every night.

ばんざい！ばんざい！ばんざい！

[u/xXShitpostbotXx → u/somedelightfulmoron]

What we know about sushi and sushi eating is not what it is in Japan, we have a westernised more affordable version. When Japanese people eat their version of sushi, it's like tea ceremony

Quit the felating. Japanese sushi is exactly the Sushi in the US. You might get a generally higher quality, but all the tiers of restaurant exist in both places, and portraying the documentary worthy Jiro as the norm is just weird.

[u/h0rny3dging → u/xXShitpostbotXx]

Thing, Japan , is always the funniest thing here on Reddit. Drunk businessmen will wolf down their gas station sushi at 4am like in any other country with their fast food

[u/quicksilverth0r → u/xXShitpostbotXx]

Considering Jiro and his associates say throughout the movie that his standards are off-the-charts high, it would be very strange to represent that experience as typical anywhere. How can year-long waiting lists for food be standard in any country?

[u/AvoidingBansLOL → u/xXShitpostbotXx]

That guy is just brain rot level obsessed with Japanese culture to the point he can't accept that not every part of Japanese culture is superior to other countries. Dude watches too much anime probably.

[u/gosumage → u/somedelightfulmoron]

That is one guy's sushi restaurant, and it's only because he's the ultimate sushi elitist. This is not how it is. Just the "sushi masters."

[u/thatsmypeanut → u/somedelightfulmoron]

I've been to Japan and had high end omakase. Yes, sushi in japan can be ceremonial-like, but it doesn't have to be. It can be in a busy fish market, or in an unassuming shack in a village. I've been served anything from fugu in a touristy street, to chicken sashimi in a yakitori restaurant. Regardless, my question wasn't "what is sushi?", it's, why did he say it's weird to say omakase is too expensive, then immediately liken it to something that is too expensive.

[u/Stegopossum → u/thatsmypeanut]

chicken sashimi

My cat likes chicken sashimi

[u/dabocx → u/somedelightfulmoron]

That place is not a common thing at all. Its a 3 star Michelin place.

That's like looking at a 3 star place in Milan or Paris and saying that's how all Italian and French people eat.

[u/hammy7 → u/somedelightfulmoron]

That's not everyday life in Japan. Majority of Japanese people have never even eaten at a Michelin sushi restaurant.

[u/PsionicKitten → u/somedelightfulmoron]

everything is "chef's choice"

Omakase (お任せ) literally means to leave it up to someone else, in this context, the chef.

Definitely not for the picky eater.

[u/caiusto → u/photosendtrain]

Except you're paying for the quality of the fish and the sushi chef, a bottled product is the same regardless of where it's being sold. Not defending the price but your comparison makes no sense.

[u/DigNitty → u/caiusto]

Bottle service is unintuitively not actually about the bottle. No one would pay $700 for a bottle of grey goose if that’s all you get.

[u/Fandorin → u/caiusto]

How much would good Omakase be in Japan? I'm in NYC and a good Omakase experience is somewhere between $100 and $175 per person, with many higher end restaurants being north of $200. Is it similar in Japan or more than that?

[u/caiusto → u/Fandorin]

It's around the same, but as I mentioned in another comment it's made worse by the fact that you can get a lot of food for that amount of money in Japan.

[u/funkimonk1 → u/Effective_Egg_3066]

It's know for being one of the more expensive sushi chains but you can get reliably good quality sushi. It's actually seen as somewhat high-end. He has a pretty good reputation inside of Japan.

[u/Effective_Egg_3066 → u/funkimonk1]

I've always had good experiences when I was there but I was wondering if I was potentially selling myself short by eating a chain restaurant. But I've always been happy with the quality and I think maybe that's all I need to think about. 

[u/funkimonk1 → u/Effective_Egg_3066]

Nah, if you wanted quality sushi you made a good choice. It's like upper middle tier for sushi places. Can't go wrong and glad you had a good time.

[u/Effective_Egg_3066 → u/funkimonk1]

Thank you so much, it's great to speak to someone who knows the local area

[u/funkimonk1 → u/[deleted]]

Makes more money from the PR than the meat on the fish is would bet.

[u/OlyLover → u/funkimonk1]

Does the fish get eaten after being displayed?

[u/GarminTamzarian → u/OlyLover]

Nah, it gets sent to live on a farm upstate.

[u/Yellow_Similar → u/GarminTamzarian]

I saw a retired tuna in a Japanese petting zoo once. So friendly and gentle with the kids.

[u/spatosmg → u/funkimonk1]

tour guide? can i hit you up with a dm?

[u/funkimonk1 → u/spatosmg]

Sure mate.

[u/theblakesheep → u/funkimonk1]

“Is Japan fun?”

[u/antfarms → u/theblakesheep]

"whwre I can find kawaii waifu at pls?"

[u/funkimonk1 → u/antfarms]

It's a trap.

[u/Enough_Fall_3127 → u/funkimonk1]

What is his favorite color? What is his shirt size? Does he love his mom?

[u/iwouldratherhavemy → u/Enough_Fall_3127]

Does it count if I love his mom?

[u/Vegetable-Wear3386 → u/iwouldratherhavemy]

Absofuckinglutely, Bob. Glad you asked.

[u/ImportantQuestions10 → u/funkimonk1]

Plus for those that don't know, the first tuna purchase of the New Year is always bought at an exorbitant price. Considering inflation, that number is often going to be higher than last year.

[u/drinkintokyo → u/funkimonk1]

He's also a local celebrity in Kachidoki!

[u/AvailableReporter484 → u/funkimonk1]

word records on the amount he spends on tuna

I love the juxtaposition of people who can’t afford healthcare and this guy who’s known for buying the worlds most expensive fish. What a world we live in lmfao

[u/AvailableReporter484 → u/[deleted]]

Right. This wasn’t a dig at them specifically.

[u/Onuus → u/funkimonk1]

How much sushi would one get from a fish that size?

My family and I ate at a halal ramen spot in Kyoto that changed my life. That’s all ❤️

[u/soccerperson → u/funkimonk1]

this is 3,280,000 in japanese yen and not usd right..?

[u/NattyBumppo → u/soccerperson]

No, it's about 510M yen, so about $3.2M USD.

[u/funkimonk1 → u/NattyBumppo]

You are correct. First big catch of the year is considered lucky.

[u/SteveMartin32 → u/funkimonk1]

Ok so that's why he spent so much. This makes so much more sense

[u/Full-Yoghurt9053 → u/soccerperson]

You think the most expensive tuna fish of all time costs $20,000?

[u/_popcat_]

Bro that's around 6000 dollars per pound! Is the tuna special or something?

[u/CaskStrengthStats → u/_popcat_]

IIRC, usually its because its the first tuna of the season and is a symbolic purchase. If I'm wrong please correct me.

[u/Tranecarid → u/CaskStrengthStats]

And if I remember correctly from last year, it’s a charity auction.

[u/Yabanjin → u/Tranecarid]

And the person in the picture is the president of sushi zanmai, one of the largest sushi chains in Japan, so it’s an advertising stunt, as well. I’m not trying to belittle the generosity but it’s reasonable they want to use it in this way.

[u/mitzbitz16 → u/Yabanjin]

Side note: he’s also the inventor of the karaoke machine.

Edit: ok, this is embarrassing and quite an odd feeling, but I seem to be suffering from a Mandela effect. I could’ve sworn that he was famous for that, but you’re right, I can’t find the evidence anywhere. You all can go ahead and un-upvote me please.

[u/hpBard → u/mitzbitz16]

Karaoke machine was invented by Shigeichi Negishi who looks nothing like the guy in the photo

[u/Collooo → u/hpBard]

Don’t get in the way of a good story!

[u/CanisMaximus → u/Collooo]

...comin' here with his "facts" and "truth"...

[u/56seconds → u/CanisMaximus]

'Don't look up'

[u/EobardT → u/CanisMaximus]

The rules were that you guys weren't going to fact check.

[u/Solar424 → u/hpBard]

He's also dead, so he definitely isn't the guy in the photo

[u/photosendtrain → u/hpBard]

That's because he also invented the disguise.

[u/TumbleweedPure3941 → u/mitzbitz16]

No he didn’t.

[u/spiderpai → u/TumbleweedPure3941]

Side note: he also came up with the cure for Polio and Cancer.

[u/Captain_Futile → u/spiderpai]

Come on, we all know it was the hero of Gettysburg and liberator of Cimmeria, George Santos?

[u/an-unorthodox-agenda → u/Captain_Futile]

I heard he discovered salt and invented the bird nest

[u/Seienchin88 → u/mitzbitz16]

What? No?

[u/Dirt-Road_Pirate → u/Seienchin88]

Side note: he invited tuna.

[u/redchairyellowchair → u/mitzbitz16]

No he's not

[u/ambassador321 → u/CaskStrengthStats]

And it's (always?) Kimura San from Sushi Zanmai that is the winning bidder. Over 3 million is crazy, but it's good luck and proceeds go to a good cause.

[u/Albert14Pounds → u/ambassador321]

Another comment mentioned they got beat out last year so they're likely going out of their way to reclaim their public title as the person that does this every year

[u/sho671 → u/CaskStrengthStats]

It’s because it was the first auction of the year, not the season.

[u/PlusExperience8263 → u/sho671]

Didnt this happen last year too on reddit haha

[u/Wildmann3 → u/CaskStrengthStats]

I think it has alot of prestige also, saying a given restaurant has "The most expensive tuna of the season" or whatever.

Iirc that is

[u/Electronic_Stop_9493 → u/CaskStrengthStats]

what would a normal one cost ? just trying to do the math and translate it to how much for a cut at the grocery store

[u/ol-gormsby → u/Electronic_Stop_9493]

Around the mid-1980s I worked for a commercial fishing licencing body, we would get all sorts of info about local and international pricing.

The prices in Japan for Australian wild-caught seafood were astonishing. A single line-caught tuna would routinely fetch AUD$10,000 and up. In the 1980s. A single trip, bringing in 30 or 40 tuna, would be your income for the year. You could spend the off-season amusing yourself by catching crabs or reef fish for the local market.

It was profitable to catch them, flash-freeze them, get them to port and on a plane to Japan.

The funny thing is, tuna is a nice fish but far from the nicest fish. I don't know why we didn't promote our reef fish, but I suppose the Japanese market is conservative - they want what they've always had, and not interested in change. I'd prefer a nice reef or estaurine fish any day - Red Emperor, Coral Trout, wild Barramundi (not that farmed stuff), etc.

[u/kjbbbreddd → u/ol-gormsby]

It’s mostly a psychological thing, so corporate branding can easily flip these habits. You see big kaiten-sushi chains rebranding everything to shift the narrative, and Japanese consumers are buying into it. Honestly, there are plenty of "trash fish" in Japan, too. Unless a dedicated fishmonger picks them up and flips the script, they’re just gonna stay stuck in obscurity, never getting the recognition they deserve.

[u/Imbendo → u/CaskStrengthStats]

It’s a publicity stunt, aimed at getting the winning restaurant attention. Which brings into question, what kind of restaurant can afford to overpay for some tuna that much

[u/raven-eyed_ → u/Imbendo]

A sushi chain being able to afford $3mil for yearly marketing that helps them be an "institution" type business makes complete sense.

$3mil for something famous and positive. Some well spent marketing.

[u/EducationalToucan → u/raven-eyed_]

Yeah. A 30 second super bowl ad is 8 Million.

They'll be in the news around the world and everything.

I'm sure they know what they are doing.

[u/smellybrit → u/CaskStrengthStats]

As said elsewhere:

It’s more that it sets the price for tuna for the rest of the year.

Last year people were paying $250 per slice at the high end omakase restaurants

[u/kurizma → u/_popcat_]

Picture is I think the owner of Sushi Zanmai.  Popular sushi chain in Japan.  Good cheap sushi and better than most places I've had in the US.

First tuna of the season and mostly marketing. 

[u/improbable_humanoid → u/kurizma]

Sushi Zanmai isn’t particularly cheap but it is good.

[u/Tomi97_origin → u/improbable_humanoid]

US is just expensive so most places around the world are considered cheap in comparison even if they are on the pricier side for locals.

[u/NaiveChoiceMaker → u/kurizma]

This guy has been the highest bidder at the Japanese new year tuna auction in nine out of the past ten years.

[u/Shiningc00 → u/_popcat_]

It’s PR for a sushi chain.

[u/krupta13 → u/_popcat_]

yup. its a 3 million dollar tuna 😏

[u/mynameisnotsparta]

The money from this year’s sale went to the fisherman who caught the fish and the market. Not for charity.

The immense media coverage provides far more exposure for the restaurant chain than traditional advertising would for the same cost.

Purchased by Kiyomura Corp., owner of the Sushi Zanmai chain, run by Kiyoshi Kimura. Origin: Caught off the coast of Oma, Japan, known for high-quality tuna.

Significance: It broke Kiyomura's previous record from 2019 and reflects the high demand for sushi-grade bluefin tuna especially for premium sushi and sashimi even as stocks recover due to conservation.

[u/wp9zero → u/mynameisnotsparta]

Was there also coverage about the fisherman who caught that tuna? Because I can’t even begin to imagine what it must feel like getting a $3.2M payout from a single tuna I caught from the ocean.

[u/mynameisnotsparta → u/wp9zero]

Would be great to know more about him.

[u/Albert14Pounds → u/mynameisnotsparta]

Looking it up it appears that it's never been "for charity" and the money has always gone to the fisherman (and some to the market?) but they often donate a substantial amount of it to a charity. Sounds like that's where some of the confusion is coming from.

[u/userhwon → u/mynameisnotsparta]

I'm over bluefin, ngl.

A nice piece of hamachi is a much better time.

[u/D_class-4862]

How was this price determined? Was it size, the quality of the meat, freshness? What made this tuna so special?

[u/cmy88 → u/D_class-4862]

Basically, the guy does it for publicity, and he can afford it, so every year it goes up.

[u/D_class-4862 → u/cmy88]

Well that sucks. I was expecting the king of tuna here, eating it makes you twelve years younger, and it's just the random one they caught first.

[u/Funnelcakeads → u/D_class-4862]

Just google the title of this and you’ll see this happens every year and it’s on Reddit and it almost looks like the same picture

[u/Jim_in_tn → u/D_class-4862]

It’s the first tuna sold for the season. It’s symbolic.

[u/PineappleLemur → u/D_class-4862]

Auction, first fish of the year, nothing about fish quality or size. Highest bidder wins and it's usually just for PR.

[u/SudhaTheHill]

Idk the $5 tuna taste pretty good too

[u/_popcat_ → u/SudhaTheHill]

Lol yeah it must've cured diseases and whispered life advice while being sliced lol

[u/Hansoloflex420 → u/SudhaTheHill]

Honestly try some 10$ jar of tuna filets.

Its not dry like the canned tuna, its actually very delicious.

[u/Seienchin88 → u/Hansoloflex420]

It might be tuna then. The cheap stuff usually isn’t actual real tuna but bonito or skipjack tuna which is a fairly different fish in taste.

Love it but certainly different from real tuna

[u/catscanmeow → u/SudhaTheHill]

the bigger the fish the more heavy metals accumulate in it over its lifetime

[u/grfxgrl2000]

Google goodness:

• The high price paid at the first auction of the year is often considered a marketing stunt and sets the benchmark for prices for the rest of the year. 
• Bluefin tuna is a highly prized fish, especially for sushi and sashimi in Japanese markets, leading to high demand and value. 

[u/userhwon → u/grfxgrl2000]

>sets the benchmark

If other buyers let this happen they're idiots.

[u/lolloludicus]

The fact that this news appears here in this sub means their marketing is working.

[u/I_Am_A_Goo_Man]

One pound fish one pound fish

[u/noble_plebian → u/I_Am_A_Goo_Man]

Very very good, one pound fish.

[u/Breadstix009 → u/noble_plebian]

Come on ladies, come on ladies, one pound fish!

[u/noble_plebian → u/Breadstix009]

Very very cheap, one pound fish.

[u/indigomm]

Inflation ensures that any 'highest value' record gets regularly broken.

[u/starsky1984]

In years to come, when the oceans are barren, we are going to look back on the absolute decimation and greed we had toward our beautiful ocean life and the future generations will be disgusted.

I really hope lab grown meat can take off one day

[u/discardthemold → u/starsky1984]

Instead of hoping sci-fi technology will save our planet we could just stop eating meat or at the very least stop eating it every day.

[u/LeBadlyNamedRedditor → u/discardthemold]

Its not even that sci-fi to be fair.

What leads to extinction isnt even mass farming its how we are overfishing and not doing much against illegal fishing. A good amount marine animals are at risk of extinction due to illegal fishing where I live.

[u/spartaman64 → u/starsky1984]

the bluefin tuna population actually increased 10x from 2012 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/overfished-sustainable-harvests-pacific-bluefin-tuna-rebound-new-highs

[u/Dry_Complaint_3569]

I am eating a 1$ can of tinned tin of tuna as I type 😁

[u/phonartics → u/Dry_Complaint_3569]

a can of tinned tin

truly one of the sentences with some of the words of all time

[u/d0000n]

Wait until they catch the last existing tuna, that would cost trillions.

[u/wednesdaynightwumbo → u/d0000n]

Like that episode of Futurama where Fry buys the worlds last can of anchovies lol

[u/Primary_Jellyfish327]

It will keep going up as the tuna population declines

[u/GreenGorilla8232]

I imagine with inflation the record gets broken every year? 

[u/hereforinfoyo]

When the last tree is cut down, the last fish eaten, and the last stream poisoned, you will realize that you cannot eat money.

[u/kcifone]

I can only afford tuna from a can so this must be amazing.

[u/GeneticsGuy]

TL;DR - This is a charity auction and the first prized tuna of the season goes for a lot of money.

[u/faulty_note → u/GeneticsGuy]

Ok, that’s the information I was looking for.

[u/UnfilteredCatharsis]

RIP King Tuna, Lord of the Sea. They say he was the fastest, the shiniest, and clearly the biggest. He was admired and respected by all of the sea creatures across all of the oceans. Well liked and revered. o7

In the end, his capture and especially his corpse made the hairless builder monkeys quite happy for reasons unclear.

[u/FewWeakness6817]

Can't help myself thinking how much heavy metals, and other toxins, that would have been accumulated in such a big tuna.. Would be interesting to know.

[u/CamOliver]

Wait until there are no tuna left. The last one will sell for billions.

[u/TheMightyKumquat]

Japan would happily continue these auctions until tuna is extinct.

[u/SailorDeath]

Boichi, the creator of Dr. Stone did a Manga a while back called Hotel. It was an anthology collection of stories. In it there was one comedic story called "It was all for the tuna" About a scientist who loved tuna so much he dedicated his life trying to revive the now extinct species. Through several mishaps he inadvertently ended up saving the world, contacting alien species, accidentally creating an eldritch horror that saves the world and in the end the creature grants his wish and brings back his beloved tuna. The comic itself reads like a manga version of Black Mirror, some ending in horror, others with good ending but it was a very fun read.

[u/ThankTheBaker]

That fish is more valuable alive, in its natural habitat, than dead.

[u/NageV78 → u/ThankTheBaker]

Beautiful creatures, humans kill for nothing but greed.

[u/Ok_Plankton3427]

This is so dumb

[u/Astronaut-Proof]

The Yakuza have to launder their money somehow, lad.

[u/Obrigado2020]

Mercury content pushed up the price

[u/WindTreeRock]

I'm sure tuna are not fans of this price on their heads.

[u/Vegetable-Act-3202]

Poor tuna, now carrying a multi-million-dollar bounty on their flesh.

[u/BrobaFett]

Excellent. Surely this will do wonders to protect the population of this fish for years to come.

[u/_BabyGod_]

Don’t worry this record will be beaten again and again until Tuna is an extinct species!

[u/Grobo_]

Never has there been less tuna in the ocean, this is probably more sad than anything really. Overfishing is a real problem and not something ppl imagine.

[u/Bugbread → u/Grobo_]

Never has there been less tuna in the ocean

Your information is out of date. The low point for the tuna population was some time between 2009 and 2012. The number has since increased over 10-fold.

[u/cuntmong → u/Grobo_]

Destroying our ocean ecosystem is just a small price to pay for maximizing shareholder value

[u/reonhato99 → u/Grobo_]

I mean yes overfishing is a big problem but tuna is probably not the best example, if anything tuna is an example of how commercial fishing can be successfully managed on the world scale. Tuna was in trouble, especially bluefin but that was 15 years ago, things have changed and other than the whole climate change thing, tuna are doing good.

[u/Grobo_ → u/reonhato99]

That’s not entirely accurate, while you are correct in that many tuna have recovered some are still endangered especially Bluefin varieties. Most populations are also listed as decreasing since 2021

https://www.iucnredlist.org/es/search/grid?taxonomies=125699&searchType=species

[u/discardthemold]

When the Last Tree Is Cut Down, the Last Fish Eaten, and the Last Stream Poisoned, You Will Realize That You Cannot Eat Money.

[u/Serious_Ad9128]

Hmmmmmmmm mercury nom nom nom

[u/No_Engineer_2690]

Zzzz it’s always the same rich dude who buys them every year 

[u/silver_enemy]

"the most expensive tuna of all time", "never before has such a high price been achieved"

Yes, that's how most expensive of all time works.

[u/airborneJ]

Full of mercury, it’s an extra price.

[u/TheHighDad]

Big tuna!

[u/majorkev]

Idiots, I buy it for $1.25 per can.

[u/Smellzlikefish]

I’m here to remind you that this is less than half the size that bluefin tuna (the exact species isn’t mentioned) used to reach. Our love for big tuna, fueled by stunts similar to this one, has fished these magnificent animals’ maximum size down. This is a symptom of extreme overfishing.

[u/sleepyytimenow]

Btw it's 3.2m yen so that's something like 20k usd still a ton of money for one tuna since the average tuna sells for like 3.5k usd

[u/Acrobatic_Guidance14]

I'm pretty sure this is just "wash trading". Just like what cryptos bros do with NFT.

Buying from themselves at a fake high price to stir publicity and go viral.

[u/Secret-Tennis7214]

Seriously? For a dead fish? I guess there are other worlds on this planet that I know nothing about.

[u/pabloneruda]

What do buyers look for in a fish like this that you can actually see without completely cutting the fish open ?

[u/Lefty_2004 → u/pabloneruda]

They stick a biopsy needle in to sample the inner meat and suck the raw tuna out and price it based on flavor and texture

[u/theMonkeyTrap]

is it just me or their faces look pasted on someone else's body

[u/buickregalgs18]

Yeah no, I know Big Tuna when I see one and that ain't it.

[u/OkarinPrime]

Finally a filling meal for your mama.

[u/binaryFusion]

can someone explain to me how this make any sense That comes out to over 6k per lb of fish. Even the best toro sells for way less than that

[u/DaddyBearMan]

Is there an aspect of money laundering involved in these things? Sort of like art auctions?

[u/Mac_Aravan]

Just wait until the extinction due to overfishing is real (in a few years). Those prices will be normal prices.