 Hong Kong, China (CNN) – A delicious delicacy, or a dangerously overfished species? The battle over bluefin tuna is nothing new but now a record purchase has put Hong Kong in the midst of the debate. A local sushi chain paid 32.49 million yen (about $390,000) for a 342 kilogram Pacific bluefin tuna at the year's first auction at Tokyo's famous Tsukiji market. The chain, known as Taste of Japan, has won the bidding for the past three years as well. Taste of Japan says it plans to sell the fish at a loss at its Itamae Sushi and Itacho Sushi restaurants. According to a spokeswoman for the restaurants, a piece of Supreme Fatty Tuna will retail for roughly $12, having cost the company more like $110. WWF Hong Kong is condemning the "promotional gimmick." The conservation group, which believes bluefin tuna is on the road to extinction, says in a statement that Taste of Japan's actions encourage "irresponsible consumption." Environmental objections don't seem to be warding off business though. The chain plans to start selling the tuna tomorrow night and believes it will sell out quickly. |
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Huge tuna.
It is sad that these amazing fish may probably end up on the endangered list or even extinct. However when these fish become so rare that fishing for them is no longer a viable business proposition another species will take its place as a top delicacy and the same thing will probably happen all over again.
The only animal that does not seem to be getting any rarer is our old friend Homo Sapiens. Unfortunately they are not considered to be a delicacy!!
;o)
unfettered greed. mitsubishi are big players in the count down to extinction of the blue fin tuna. Support Sea Shepard who last year released hundreds of illegally captured blue fin tuna in the meditaranean. The blue fins were captured in holding pens and many fish were under their legal weight and size. During the night – Sea Shepard activists dove and cut open the holding pen – releasing hundreds of tuna. Please support them in their work – they seem to be the only ones actually doing something. The Mafia are also highly involved in this race to exterminate a species in the meditaranean. Mitsubishi have holding warehouses in Japan full of frozen blue fin tuna – they are banking on the species becoming extinct believe it or not. Blue fin tuna fishing represents the darkest aspects of human activity on our planet – the poor fish deserve to enter the meditaranean to breed without being culled illegally and immorally.
The so called "environmentalists" which criticize the catching of this fish should now look at their OWN diet. Got meat on your plate? How about cow's milk in your cereal? Eggs for breakfast? Unless you are a VEGAN and follow a PLANT BASED DIET, you are NOT an environmentalist. Everyone please GO VEGAN for the Earth, for the animals, and for your own health. Thank you.
Since when have the Japanese ever cared about the environment if it's about food (Whales, Tuna)?
With a great many regret I can´t help but notice that Japan, a country which is otherwise known for it´s progress and avantgarde society, is trapped in such retarded ancient customs like Sharkfin-soup, whale meat and the aforementioned overpriced consumption of this almost extinct species of tuna.
Stop the slaughtering. Traditions are good as long as they take responsibility for the future.
There cannot be sushi without tuna fish.
It is like asking other nations to stop or limit eating beef because cattle's are in short supply.
Maybe part of the Tuna sales should be used for Tuna welfare and protection agencies.
While there is certainly a problem with overfishing of Bluefin Tuna and indeed most other species of fish, it is rather pointless for WWF to condemn Taste of Japan for paying close to $400K for a single fish. Indeed, one might suggest that this is a positive act, in that it raises the value of the species, which will increase costs to consumers and thereby tend to encourage moderation and diversification. Of course the concomitant is that illegal fishing will be more profitable, but that will always be the case.
Lets start eating Japanese children and see how they like to be low on the food chain for a change. Keep it up Japan and God is going to send a nice big earthquake your way.
Boycott TASTE OF JAPAN.
One fish, sold at an unsustainable price, has these people irked?
While I don't doubt the current plight of the bluefin tuna, it seems to me that the WWF Hong Kong has their logic superbly backward.
I think its disgusting to make this endangered Tuna specifies a marketing gimmick!
Dont get me wrong, I love Shushi and Shashimi and most of Asian foods.
But this goes too far and I will boykott this chain in the future.
Hope some fellow Hongkies will follow suit.
Anything that "irks" environmentalists is a good thing. Bluefin tuna... gotta get me some.
Congratulations to the fisherman ,who finally made some money . What a difficult job ,with terrible hours .
I'm not sure I get it. Is there a link to some record setting hauls or new info on the poulation decline that should be a concern? If so, I'm listening. Otherwise, mind your own business WWF. Don't go the way of Sierra Club and start chawing at the fringes of your stated mission.
For $ 390.000 it better have four wheels and say Lamborghini. I'm surprised the environmental wackos didn't say anything about the dolphins that get caught in the tuna nets and are killed. I guess everyone has their particular beef. Have a great day everyone.
Too bad the WWF is not on the road to extinction. Viva la sushi.
Your moderator should be awaiting moderation. Just love censorship on an "open" media. Heil Hitler.
If there is a constant in the universe it is everything irks enviromentalists.
so? What can I say-EAT MORE TUNA!
It's simply more unbridled capitalism at the expense of sanity.
Greed will imprison us all.
This was going on for sometime with the Japanese.
The Jumbo Maguro is the king of tuna and the Bluefin
is it! This is the top of the pile for the fish lovers! To condemn
them of this action is not going to stop them. We need to
show them why it should not be this way. It's just too bad that
the Japanese government has no such intentions. We need
an Al Gore for Bluefins! For that matter, all of our resources!
The only way I see conservation is through protected and patrolled
waters designated off limits to Bluefin tuna. This is also not easy
as they range the entire Pacific. The world has to come to terms
with the fact that we are obliterating ourselves as we eat and
consume everything to extinction. What a pity!
This is so outrageous, there are not even words. The "gimmick" will promote something worse than irresponsible consumption – it will promote more irresponsible fishing! When the fish are gone, the ocean will die, and then the world will suffer immeasurable. There will be no one to save with the world in a grave.
Japan is more responsible for the coming extinction of Bluefin Tuna than any nation on Earth by far. Severe overfishing and poaching of these fish is driven by their willingness to pay anything for them, so much so, that corruption runs rampant in the EU and the agencies created to protect them as well. Japan should be ashamed, and the rest of the world should stop looking the other way...
The problem here is that not many people really understand how much of the oceans we've fished out. We really have. Look at the fishing industry off the eastern coast of Canada. There were captains that said the cod were so thick it could stop boat. Now there are none. As for the tuna? You have companies like Mitsubishi buying up what they can now and freezing it in warehouses. Why? Because they know the fish are nearing the end and what they have in warehouses will be worth so much money.
They treat humans horribly over there but lets worry about fish instead.
Mmmmmmm, tuna...
The question is: who needs the enviromentalists? I hope they continue to boycott all foods until they starve and become extinct.
The decimation of this incredible fish results from mankind's indifference when faced with the loss of our most valued species. Greed and ignorance drive these activities. We will all suffer for the loss of the tuna, the tiger, the elephant and all the endangered animals that make our planet the wonder that it is- or was.
freakin sushi. freakin Japanese. Freakin fish markets.
equivalent of eating an endangered wolf. The ocean is not endless, there are boundaries. There will be an end to fish...we will eat them all.
Why do we have traffic gridlock, why are we depleting food sources, other natural resources, why is pollution on the rise, why do we have urban sprawl? One answer, too many people. The population keeps growing and growing every year, and eventually we're gonna reach a breaking point.
The answer is not putting limitations on things people use. People are consumption and waste animals. We gotta eat, provide shelter for ourselves, commute, etc... Gotta attack the problem at the source. And that begins with curbing the population of the world. Hard thing to do I realize, but until governments and these special interest groups start to realize it, they are merely putting band-aids on the true problem.
Environmentalist will complain about everything. I suppose chickens are becoming endangered as well? I would like to know if everyone of those environmentalist are vegitarians or if they eat meat. If they eat anything with meat then they are hypocrits and need to STFU.
THE CREATOR HAS PLANS FOR MANS EXTINCTION AS WELL.
Typical of the Japanese who will stop at nothing to decimate what is left of our ocean wildlife. Whether it is Tuna, Whales, Dolphins or Sharks they put their bank accounts before anything to do with our environment. When is the rest of the world going to do something about it? Probably when the oceans are devoid of wildlife...very sad.
Isn't time that the Asain culture change the tradition of over fishing and killing of "exotic" animals.
Over consumption of a finite resource and a great fish. People will be scratching their heads and wondering where all the bluefin tuna went in 10 years.
Dismantling our ecosystem, 1 species at a time.
I gave up ordering tuna for sushi dinners earlier last year. I encourage everyone else to do the same until we get our consumption under control.
Um, Pamela? The tuna is on the road to extinction. It's not just that environmentalists "believe" it. It's a fact. Guess where they spawn? That's right, the Gulf of Mexico. Maybe you heard about a little oil spill that happened there last year.
Maybe CNN should have gotten a reporter who actually knows what he/she is talking about to do this story.
I love fish. They are delicious.
Better check your math. 342 kg x 2.20462 = 754 lbs.
$390,000 / 754 = $517.24 per pound
I love bluefin tuna sashimi and sushi :)
Bluefin tuna is in serious trouble as a species. As a high-level predator, it does not breed quickly. There are limits on fishing it, but they are widely ignored by both the Japanese and the Europeans-typical commercial fishermen being short-sighted. All they can see is the paycheck today, not the loss of a valuable species forever.
My son fishes for Bluefin and he sees the population getting stronger every season , but what do fishermen know about the ocean ? These evironmentalist must be the same ones that have been preaching about the global warming scam. Pretty cold in NH right about now , oh that's right , a sure sign of global warming is first the temp stays really cold for extended periods of time , then it warms up.......can't wait , tired of freezing !
"Protein wars" are coming. Many species of food fish have been depleted almost to extinction. We humans are stupid.
Oh my God ~ it's copusin Tommie! What will I tell his mother?
Weird, I can get a can of tuna at the grocery store for a buck.
Why do the looney-lefties hate private enterprise?
Next thing you know they will be worried about lettice and corn becoming extinct.
Atlantic sardines, cod and Pacific salmon. Just a few of the decimated species that man's poor management have pushed to the brink. As much as I might like sushi "maguro" I do not eat it any more since it makes me feel like I am contributing to something that I think is wrong.
Asia is so bent on consuming animals with no regard to their future existence. I know that is a blanket statement to say all Asians do this but come on already and get with the program. Tigers, Shark fins, Rhino horns, Whale everything?
What if this tuna had some disease that made it so big... do you want to eat that ????
The japanese have no respect for nature. I am no expert but it seems to me they are always trying to wipe out one oceanic species after another. The rest of the world in turn seems powerless to stop them. For being supposedly so smart they do stupid things in a quite caveliar fashion. Is there anything that can be done to stop them from killing off massive amounts of fish and whales. Why are they seemingly allowed to do these ecologically deminishing practices?
Hurry up ,eat the last one,these giants are extinct.In the 1960's car sized tuna regularly came piled up on the boats ,then used for cat food, ,funny , how things change.
I mean seriously, what doesn't irk environmentalists?
Since it's so big wouldn't it be loaded with cadmium and mercury and other toxic metals?
Everything irks environmentalists.
We're complaining that we are eating too much fish?!?! But when theres too much of one thing, we complain that theres too much?!?! Geez.
Love tuna so much.when large catchs start to diminish fisherman should look for another quary temporarily just like farmers change crops.fishing for oysters is done the same way.
Makes me hungry for a tuna salad sandwich.
I don't see how this event has anything to do with overfishing. The WWF played right into Taste of Japan's hands by giving them the publicity they 'paid' for by overpaying for the fish. Same with CNN, as I never would have heard of this restaurant chain without having read this article.
As much as I like sushi and seared tuna this story gets me thinking of the ramifications of overfishing of tuna and other large fish. Especially after hearing of the "dead fish" in MD and Arkansas .... makes me think about going vegetarian.
What a sad commentary when the whims of a few power brokers sabotage, destroy and may very well add to the extinction of a species while simultaneously telling the rest of earth's populaton to 'kiss off'.
But wait!! That happened to our own beloved country when idoit bush bestowed on those most worthy of stalwarts–America's wealthiest-an unfunded, budget busting tax cuts and to hell with the rest of us.
It seems airs of superiority and entitlement is not unique to the west.
I wonder how many envior whack jobs will be at the place, eating some of that tuna. Why are these whack jobs eternally offended?
Man and his greedy ways may soon lead to self destruction and things around humanity
There's always something irking the enviros. Promotional gimmick? Who cares? The fish was caught legally and was dead. Should it have been left to rot in the sun instead? Tuna is a big deal to the Japanese, and much like the enviros who will spend 3x normal for free range eggs or organic produce, the Japs will spend big money on fresh tuna and sushi. In any case, the Japanese are not going to hear nor entertain the objections. Stop whining!
My late father caught a 641 pound Bluefin at Montauk Point, NY in 1954. He had it made into tuna fish at a cannery and brought a few cases home for family and friends. He's probably rolling in his grave right now!
Maybe these commercial fishers should start a Bluefin Tuna FARM.!!
It's a delicious delicacy as well as dangerously overfished. If certain world markets don't learn to curb their appetites for bluefin tuna, we most likely will see them become extinct.
Would it be possible to have just a few more facts... an approximate count of the species from the conservationists? 100? 1,000?, 100,000? This restaurant bought only one blue fin tuna? How many do they buy annually? I am assuming that most restaurants are not willing to take thess losses, how common is blue fin tuna at a sushi restaurant? What is the current state of worldwide fisheries?
Being married to a Japanese woman and having visited Japan a couple times in the past few years, I love the efficiency and lack of waste in their society. But when it comes to engangered sea creatures, they seem to always turn a blind eye towards the problem.
I would love some otoro right about now. mmmmmmm.
$390,000 for a 750 lb fish?
Seriously?
Excuse my sushi ignorance, but is the taste really that much better when the bluefin achieves "humongous" status? Or is there just more of it to go around?
is it no surprise,that China,a known Whaler,would take anything extinct? Really,you watch those programs,on the foods that are consumed in the diffrent areas? I am disgusted,I love the,people,but the practices that culture has,should be illegal,through World Peace,something.Seriously,some eat dogs,cats,I,am totally not surprised,ever see the Dolphin slaughter,on a PROTECTED WILDLIFE,GAME RESERVE??? And we,America,holds back,tries to save species,when others mock,and eat whatever they want? Where is the justice???? We will never see it,I assure you,all you rich people,whats wrong with you? Do,something honorable for once??
mmmmmmmm
great. something else japan had decided to devour into extinction. eyes et al
How big does tuna get!
Tuna sings with plaintive bluesy voice: O your gonna miss me when I'm gone! I've run the seas and had my day! Now I'm being over fished and sold for a lotta dough. O have to feed the land monkey, the land monkey needs to feed. O woe!!! Sang de blues brah!
That is just rediculous! 390,000 us?! HOW MANY HUNGRY PEOPLE COULD THAT HAVE FED!? And they waste it on ONE FISH!!!
I'll miss them when their extinct in 15 years....
These Asian people will eat anything and everything, best lock up your pets or they'll be on the menu as well.
what will they eat when its all gone....
Relax everyone it's just a tuna! It's not extinct nor is there any proof that it will be. Unlike whale (which I agree is dispicable for Japan to be killing) Tuna is a main part of their diet and has been for centuries.
If this Chinese company wants to spend $500K on a fish so be it. Take some of that money and put it into conservation. Problem solved!
I have a fantastic idea, let's all start eating Vegans. They p*ss me off to no end with their whining – let everyone eat what they will, if you eat only meat for the rest of your life then good for you and if you want to eat only lettuce, then go right ahead. Me, I'm all for some beautiful tasty cow milk with cookies and for dinner a nice big juicy steak will do just wonderfully.
To each his own.
Human population is increasing by the second and food is becoming scarce. Vegans are people who consider themselves environmentalists. little do they know that plant life is the most endangered in this world at this moment in time. Deforestation and natural fires are destroying most of the plant life in the world. Animals need plants for survival. 75% of this world is covered in water. The future shows that the only food available will be in the oceans. The best thing you can do is to put a curb on long lining and trawling for at least 3-4 months in a year so that the small fish at least grow . Thank god a fish gives out nearly 500,000 eggs in one sitting . I can't imagine if humans could do that :-)
Christians talk about Judgement day, Folks, there is no judgement day by the gods!!! it will be created by us alone and it's near!! Don't prepare for it as the holocaust will be so bad no-one will survive.
Nature is anyway taking it's toll now-a-days. The morgue is being slowly prepared by it. The floods,earthquakes,hurricanes, land slides, natural fires etc are all symptoms of the coming disaster in the near future.
My request for all human kind... DO not reproduce further .. you will only be killing your children before they grow to be adults... call me a pessimist but i am stating facts and i know most of you know what i am talking about, just not able to admit it...!!
mmm tasty! And at a discount... :)
Blue fin tuna has been successfully farmed since 2002. Kinki University succeeded in artificially hatching and nurturing fish from eggs laid by the parent fish. What seems to be the beef?
Anybody who is a participant or a supporter in the decimation of a millions of year old species for greed is himself 100% in the criminal category. The earth is a carefully balanced system and a complicated web of life which took four billion years to evolved. Mankind is a destroyer of that in just 200 years, a crime which is a thousand times worse than genocide. Mankind is a destroyer of life species and has proven it does not deserve to exist another minute on this planet.
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