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

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

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

This is the second-highest price paid at this year’s opening auction at Tokyo’s main fish market since comparable data collection began in 1999.

Powerful buyers have now paid the highest price for five straight years, winning bragging rights and a lucrative frenzy of media attention in Japan.

“The first tuna is meant to bring good luck,” Onodera official Shinji Nagao told reporters after the auction. “Our desire is for people to eat this and have a great year.”

Onodera Group paid 114 million yen for the best tuna last year.

But the highest auction price ever was 333.6 million yen for a car 612 pound bluefin in 2019where the fish market was moved from the traditional Tsukiji area to a modern facility in the nearby Toyosu area.

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

During the COVID-19 pandemic, New Year’s tuna orders commanded only a fraction of their usual high prices, as the public was discouraged from eating out and restaurant operations were limited.

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

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