SHINGU, Wakayama Pref. (Kyodo) This year's first auction of inshore tuna was held Monday at Nachi-Katsuura, a major fishing port in Wakayama Prefecture, with a 150-kg bluefin tuna fetching the day's highest price at ¥1.55 million.
The tuna, caught by the Kochi-based fishing boat Kaien Maru No. 37, was shipped to the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.
About 100 wholesalers placed bids on 60 tons of tuna in total, up 14 tons from last year.
According to the local fishing cooperative, 11,787 tons of tuna was caught last year, worth a market total of ¥6.1 billion.
The amount was up about 1,000 tons from the previous year, but the value declined by ¥745 million, the cooperative said.
