A giant bluefin tuna the size of a motorcycle is selling for $1.3 million in Tokyo

The highest bidder at a Tokyo fish market said Sunday they paid $1.3 million for a single tuna, the second-highest price paid at the prestigious annual New Year’s auction.

Michelin-starred sushi restaurant Onodera Group said they paid 207 million yen for the 608-pound bluefin tuna, which is about the size and weight of a motorcycle.

This is the second highest price paid at the opening auction of the year at Tokyo’s main fish market since comparative data began to be collected in 1999.

Power buyers have already paid the top price five years in a row – earning bragging rights and a lucrative frenzy that has attracted media attention in Japan.

“The first tuna is something that is meant to bring good luck,” Onodera official Shinji Nagao told reporters after the auction. We want people to eat it and have a great year.”

Onodera Group paid 114 million yen for top tuna last year.

However, the highest auction price ever was ¥333.6 million 612-pound bluefin in 2019as the fish market was moved from the traditional Tsukiji area to a modern facility in nearby Toyosu.

The record bid was made by self-proclaimed “Tuna King” Kiyoshi Kimura, who runs the national restaurant chain Sushi Zanmai.

New Year’s tuna has commanded only a fraction of its usual high prices during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the public has been discouraged from eating out and restaurants have limited operations.

The Pacific bluefin tuna is the largest species of tuna in the Pacific Ocean, with adults reaching lengths of about 10 feet and 1,000 pounds.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the Pacific bluefin tuna as Vulnerable. However, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationThe number of fish has been increasing in recent years. The assessment, released in June, found that Pacific bluefin tuna are “exceeding international targets a decade ahead of schedule,” NOAA said.