In the first auction of the year at Tokyo's fish market on January 6, a huge bluefin tuna sold for 16.88 million yen (around $155,000).
The prices of fish have dropped worldwide affected by the pandemic.
Local media said this year’s auction at the Toyosu fish market is the first in six years to sell a tuna fish for under 20 million yen, according to the German News Agency.
The fish, weighing 211 kg, was caught off in Oma, one of the country’s best tuna fishing spots on the northern side of the Honshu Island. The fish was bought by a wholesaler for approximately $690 per kilogram.
The consumption of bluefin tuna in Japan is higher than any other country. The excessive fishing of this type exposes it to a serious extinction threat.