How Much Money Is A Bluefin Tuna Worth

Why Is Bluefin Tuna So Expensive?

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Canned tuna isn't exactly an expensive fish, which is probably why information technology's been such a staple of sack lunches for decades. Order up some bluefin tuna at a sushi eatery, however, and you'll almost certainly be paying a pretty penny.

The fish is reputable for commanding ridiculously outrageous prices at auctions. For case, in 2019, CNN reported that Kiyoshi Kimura, the self-proclaimed Japanese "Tuna King," paid a tape-breaking $three.1 one thousand thousand for a 612-pound bluefin tuna. That breaks downward to near $5,065 per pound and some seriously expensive sushi rolls!

Whether a fish is worth that much is a thing of opinion — Kimura even admitted that he overpaid — merely what is it that makes bluefin tuna and then incredibly pricey?

Limited supply and exporting costs drive upwardly the price

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One cistron that makes bluefin tuna so expensive is the law of supply and demand, or as The Atlantic cleverly describes it — "sushinomics." To put it frankly, in that location'south simply so much bluefin tuna in the ocean. All three species of the bluefin are overfished and the fish don't brood in captivity. Japan — the largest consumer of bluefin — has faced international criticism for its harsh fishing of bluefin. It wasn't e'er this way, either.

The fish didn't actually go pop until after the 1970s when sushi slowly began to gain a following in the West. The fish has a fatty marbling which makes the meat from its belly incredibly prized for sushi.

Sushi expert and chef Derek Wilcox told Business Insider that Japan is but amend at handling the butchering of bluefin. Information technology'due south not uncommon for bluefin caught off the United states coast to be sent to Japan before being exported to a sushi eatery someplace else. This drives up the cost.

You won't notice bluefin in the canned fish aisle of the grocery store

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To the uninformed, tuna might just be tuna and the thought of paying millions for a 600-pound fish seems ludicrous. It's of import to note, though, that the bluefin sushi roll you might get at a high-end sushi eating house has very little in common with your mom'south tuna salad recipe.

For starters, canned tuna is a species known as albacore or longfin tuna. They're a lot smaller than bluefin, can exist farm-raised, and are much more than arable than the bluefin. Albacore might not have the marbling of bluefin, but it has the benefit of being seafood that y'all won't feel guilty about eating.

Source: https://www.mashed.com/188659/why-is-bluefin-tuna-so-expensive/

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