Tuna Fish Auctioned For Record $1.7m

A bluefin tuna has sold for a record $1.76m (£1.1m) at a Tokyo auction - nearly three times the previous high.

 In the year's first auction at Tokyo's sprawling Tsukiji fish market, the 222kg (489lb) tuna caught off north eastern Japan sold for 155.4m yen.

 The fish's tender pink and red meat is prized for sushi and sashimi. The best slices of fatty bluefin - called "o-toro" - can sell for 2,000 yen ($24) per piece at upmarket Tokyo sushi bars.

The Japanese eat 80% of all bluefin tuna caught worldwide, and much of the global catch is shipped to Japan for consumption.

The winning bidder, Kiyoshi Kimura, president of Kiyomura Co., which operates the Sushi-Zanmai restaurant chain, said "the price was a bit high," but that he wanted to "encourage Japan".
He went on to serve the fish to customers on Saturday.