In 2019, a Japanese sushi tycoon named Kiyoshi Kimura made headlines by shelling out a staggering $3.1 million for a colossal bluefin tuna weighing 612 pounds. This extravagant purchase cemented its status as the world's most expensive tuna.
The auction record was set in 2019, when a bluefin sold for a staggering $3.1 million.
With an incredible and record-setting $3.1 million selling price, the Bluefin Tuna is the most expensive fish in the world.
The main differences between bluefin and yellowfin tuna are that bluefin is significantly larger, fetch a higher price, and have a smaller global distribution than yellowfin. Both bluefin and yellowfin tuna are top predators in the world's oceans, but there are some definitive differences between them.
Kiyoshi Kimura, who owns the Sushizanmai chain, paid 333.6 million yen ($3.1 million) for the 278-kg (613-lb) fish caught off the coast of northern Japan's Aomori prefecture, or double what he had paid six years ago.
Kiyoshi Kimura, a self-described “Tuna King,” who runs restaurant chain Sushi Zanmai, paid 193 million yen (about $1.8 million) for a 608-pound (276-kilogram) bluefin tuna, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported.
If you invited friends over and served them cuts from a $1.8 million Bluefin tuna, you'd surely be the envy of all of your dinner guests.
Bluefin Tuna — Up to $5,000 per Pound
In their natural environment, they have a varied diet, eating a wide variety of fish and invertebrates. Researchers have observed them feeding on over 50 different types of fish. Bluefin tuna is the most expensive fish you can eat in the world at up to $5,000 per pound!
Both yellowfin and bluefin tunas appear on sushi and sashimi menus across the continents. However, bluefin reigns supreme in this meal rendition due to its deliciously fatty flesh, explains Dinko Seafoods. The flavor is full and rich, and the "meaty" texture lends itself well to raw consumption in sashimi and sushi.
The Chinese news service Xinghua in March put the average price of bluefin tuna in Japan around $10,000 for a single fish. That's a lot, even for a fish that can weight more than 1,000 pounds. But Kimura paid 70 times than that more for his New Year's delicacy: $1,238-per-pound.
Kiyoshi Kimura (木村 清, Kimura Kiyoshi) is known as the "Tuna King" of Japan.
Almas caviar might be the most expensive food in the world, clocking in at $34,500 USD per kilogram. It's really expensive because it's rare and is sourced exclusively from the Iranian Beluga sturgeon (also referred to as the Huso Huso). The Iranian Beluga creates two forms of caviar: the Beluga and the Almas.
A 200kg (440lb) endangered bluefin tuna sold for 14 million yen ($117,283; £80,000) at the first auction of the year at Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market.
The largest recorded specimen taken under International Game Fish Association rules was caught off Nova Scotia, an area renowned for huge Atlantic bluefin, and weighed 679 kg (1,497 lb) and was 3.84 m (12.6 ft) long.
However, no matter where you choose to source your Bluefin tuna, it should never be cheap. For example, local Bluefin tuna wholesale price per pound might cost between $20 and $40 while you can be paying a minimum of $200 a pound for Bluefin tuna from Japan. In peak season, Oma tuna can cost close to $400 a pound.
How many Bluefin Tunas are left in the world? There are more than a million Bluefin Tunas. What is an interesting fact about the Bluefin Tuna? The bluefin is one of the largest fish in the world.
Tuna: Any sort of tuna, be it bluefin, yellowfin, skipjack, or albacore, can be eaten raw. It is one of the oldest ingredients used in sushi and is regarded by some as the icon of sushi and sashimi.
The FDA recommends consuming fish lower in mercury. For tuna varieties, skipjack earns the Best Choice label from the FDA, while yellowfin and albacore receive the Good Choice label. The FDA suggests avoiding bigeye tuna, which has the highest levels of mercury.
It's in space. The International Space Station ranks in the Guinness World Records as the most expensive thing ever created at $150 billion to develop and build. According to CNBC, the space station costs the National Aeronautics and Space Administration $4 billion a year to operate.
Beluga Caviar: The Most Expensive Caviar
Beluga caviar is the most expensive caviar in the world, and it comes from the Beluga sturgeon that is found in the Caspian Sea. The Caspian Sea is the largest inland body of water in the world, and it is home to four species of sturgeon: Beluga, Ossetra, Sevruga, and Sterlet.
The bluefin tuna weighed 212 kg according to a Bloomberg report, which means the discerning buyer put down $1,287 for each kilo of the fish. Ironically the bluefin tuna is famous for its speed, its ability to dive deep into the oceans and for its ability to live up to 40 years.
Australia Live Tuna 2023 Retail Prices
The retail price range in Australian Dollar for live tuna is between AUD 4.51 and AUD 97.78 per kilogram or between AUD 2.05 and AUD 44.34 per live weight pound(lb) in Canberra and Melbourne.
The biggest fish ever caught was a white shark. Although larger female white shark can grow up to 20ft in length and can weigh up to 5,000 pounds, this fish was a great white shark of 2 664 pounds (1 208 kg).
It can take an experienced angler several hours to boat a big tuna, and many an inexperienced fisherman has lost there first hook up on bluefin, because they have never fought a fish like this one. You need to pace yourself, and present only the very best rod, reel, line, knot, and hook to the fish.