Heavy tuna in Japan

A giant 445 kg bluefin tuna, the heaviest of the fish caught in Japan 24 years, was sold at the fish market in Tokyo today.

The 445 kg tuna was auctioned at Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo on July 16.Photo: AFP.

AFP reported that this is the biggest bluefin tuna people have caught off Japan since 1986. It is sold at Tsukiji fish market - the largest seafood market in the world.

"Many people working at Tsukiji market have never seen such a big tuna. It is very rare for people to see tuna weighing more than 400 kg," a Tokyo city official said.

The fish is auctioned at a price of $ 36,700.

The largest tuna ever sold at Tsukiji fish market weighing 496 kg. She was arrested in April 1986. The title of the world's largest tuna ever sold belongs to a tuna in Canada. When sold in 1995 it weighed 497 kg.

Excessive fishing activities caused the number of tuna worldwide to decline sharply. Some Western countries are calling on the international community to ban the sale of endangered bluefin tuna in the Atlantic.

Japanese people consume up to three-quarters of the catch of bluefin tuna worldwide because tuna is an indispensable ingredient for sushi.