On the 4th, the annual first auction of the New Year was held in Nachikatsuura-cho, Wakayama Prefecture, where fresh tuna is thriving.
At Katsuura Fishing Port in Nachikatsuura Town, the catch of fresh tuna is thriving, and the first auction is held on January 4th every year.
On the 4th, about 60 tons of bigeye tuna and albacore tuna caught off the Kii Peninsula were landed and auctioned at the market next to the port.
Brokers checked the quality of the tuna by looking at the cut end of the tail, etc., and wrote down the desired price on a tag to bid down one after another.
Many of the tuna caught on the 4th have good fat, and among them, the bigeye tuna is the most expensive, at 6000 yen per kilogram, which is about 2000 yen higher than usual.
The tuna that has been auctioned off will be shipped all over Japan, including Tokyo and Osaka.
Mr. Naohisa Ota, the market manager of Wakayama Prefecture Gyoren Katsuura Market, said, "This year is the year of the rabbit, so I hope that the fishermen will be able to sail safely and make a leap and catch a big catch."