Bluefin Tuna is among the most expensive fish in the world. Its prices keep on rising yearly because it is difficult to catch them. Also, they undergo a long process before arriving at the restaurants.
The prices of Bluefin Tuna
In 2013, the most expensive bluefin tuna from Japan cost $1.8 Million. This is very different from the normal tuna one can buy in the supermarket. Remember, the canned tuna comes from small farmed fish which feed on artificial foods. While the Blue Tuna grows in the Ocean, up to its maturity.
Shoji restaurant, located in New York, is one of the largest hotels for Japanese people. That’s the home of the original bluefin from Japan in the USA.
Derek Wilcox talks to Business Insider about the animal. He says they get the Bluefin from Japan, and sometimes they buy it from the USA market. This depends on the climatic changes in these two areas. A large sample of bluefin can be caught once in a while.
The fish is intensively modeled and has particular flavors. Large blueFin can range between 450pound to 600 pounds. In 2019, $3.1 million was paid for a 612-pound Tuna from Japan. Furthermore, the prices per extracted piece will rise from $20 – $40, and even some end up paying $200 for the red part.
Low Supply of Bluefin Tuna
The supply of Bluefin Tuna is very low. Only a few can be caught within a single year. Japan, at one point, got criticized for overfishing the animal from the oceans, causing its exhaustion. The fish goes through a lot of hands and processes before it arrives to the final user. This leads to a rise in price from one hand to the next as everyone wants to get his profits. This report is from Business Insider.
The long process of selling in Japan
After fishing, the Japanese fishermen hand it to the collecting cooperative. Then the government auction takes over to moderate the importation and tax costs. The middlemen will come in to transport the Blue Tuna to the restaurant. At each stage, the prices increase. So, when it comes to market price, negotiation has to take place to buy it at a reduced price.
The process is very different in the United States. After a huge catch in Boston, the fishermen gave it to the distributors. This category of people will take the fish directly to the final wholesalers in the restaurant. If there is a need for importation, they will pass through the Japanese Sushi restaurant. This is for legit confirmation before the supply takes place.
Bluefin Tuna meat- Image from pixabay by Ubert
However, the Japanese handle the bluefin with much care as compared to the USA people. They have to ensure the fish remains in its natural state through preservation. Also, the whole process takes place faster to get to the final user. Derek Wilcox says the quality of Tuna matters a lot when it comes to their customers. They have to serve a good meal to attract more customers, a report by Atalantic.
In 2018 Japan sold Blue Tuna to various restaurants in different countries. The total amount from the market was $333 million, which is a good amount compared to the predecessor years. Derek says the Japanese always celebrate the largest Bluefin yearly. They always put in mind that it will bring a good foreign exchange inside the country. The fish gets sold at the highest price, mainly in the USA.
Preparation of fish for small-scale selling
After final sales to the restaurant, the fish is cut into small-medium-sized categories. We have customers who might buy specific parts while still raw. Each piece has its own specific prices. If one wants to know if the Blue Tuna had a good diet with many exercises, the red part gets tested. The fish has fatty marbling making it worth a sale, a report by Mashed.
Wild Tuna has a much cleaner internal surface as compared to farmed Tuna. Farmed Tuna might taste fresh but lacks that flavor in it. However, many farmers have opted to tame and raise their Tuna to offer competition over the Marine wild Tuna. It is a good act as they prevent the exhaustion of BlueTuna from the Ocean.
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