Auction Update of Bluefin Tuna in Toyosu Market for November 2022

Tuna

Frozen Bigeye Tuna

Japan

Market & Price Trends

Anna Mochizuki

Published Dec 16, 2022

The number of imports at the perishables section of Toyosu Market in November 2022 was 389 pieces, a 17.5% increase from November 2021 (331 pieces). Although wild bluefin tuna from North America, which was feared to be affected by the weaker yen, arrived unexpectedly well, farmed bluefin tuna and bigeye tuna from Mexico were sluggish. At auctions, the popularity of Canadian products changes over time. At the beginning of November 2022, when extra-large fish weighing around 200kg were the main catch, there were many leftover auctions. In the latter half of 2022, domestic products such as those from Oma, Aomori, and Toi, Hokkaido were in short supply. The average price was also high at USD 34.10/kg (JPY 4,647/kg), and all 94 pieces that arrived after the 19th were sold out at the auction. As many of the Greek products were popular sizes of around 60kg, which are easy to handle, they performed well like the Canadian products, with a high price of USD 46.12/kg (JPY 6,300/kg) and an average price of USD 26.51/kg (JPY 3,613/kg). Farmed products continued to be sluggish with 14 pieces (On November 2021, it was 19 pieces) from Mexico. In 2021, the main factor behind the slump in shipments was losing out to the North American market, which traded at higher prices than in Japan. In 2022, the shortage of all aquaculture products is becoming more serious due to the lack of domestic aquaculture ponds that compete with it. Transactions were centered on after-hours and off-market bilateral sales, as users prioritized securing a secure supply.