Are you familiar with the high-end tuna known as “Sado tuna”? The catch volume has increased more than fivefold compared to last year. It may even become affordable enough for families to enjoy at home. This morning off the coast of Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, a large quantity of mackerel was caught in the nets! And among them… Reporter: “It’s tuna. There’s tuna in the nets.” “It must be around 150 kilograms?” Huge bluefin tuna, sometimes called “black diamonds” due to their rarity, were being unloaded one after another.
Toshiyuki Ito, fishing master of Kurohime fishing grounds, Uchikaifu Fisheries Production Cooperative: “It’s unbelievable. To catch something this big at this time of year. (Q. What’s the usual size?) Less than 100 kilograms. Lately, they’ve been about twice that size.” 32 bluefin tuna were brought to the market in Sado City today. Some weighed as much as 206 kilograms. Large tuna usually come into season in Sado around June. However, in Niigata Prefecture, the catch volume had already increased more than fivefold by February of this year compared to last year. The timing has shifted earlier this year, and there have been continuous big catches.
The reason for this is thought to be… Nobutoshi Honma, head of the Uchikaifu Fisheries Production Cooperative: “The Sea of Japan has seen an unprecedented abundance of mackerel and sardines. Perhaps the tuna are moving in search of that food and are following it.” It is thought that the tuna have come this spring in search of the abundant sardines. Furthermore, due to global warming, the seawater temperature off the coast of Sado has risen, and Mr. Honma says that it is possible that the tuna prefer the temperature of the waters near Sado when migrating south to spawn.
Nobutoshi Honma, head of the Uchikaifu Fisheries Production Cooperative: “We are confident in the tuna we send out. We would be grateful if people would come and say, ‘Sado tuna is delicious, let’s go eat it.'” At a sushi restaurant right in front of the market, people can be seen enjoying freshly caught tuna! A customer from Tokyo said, “The texture is different from the tuna we eat in Tokyo, and it’s very delicious. It’s tender.” “It might be a good idea to come here specifically to enjoy that (Sado tuna) from now on.” Kitahiroshi of Sushi Uohide said, “I think it has a good amount of fat for this time of year. It smells great. Its characteristic is that it smells like tuna.” At this restaurant, a set of three pieces of otoro, chutoro, and akami costs 2,500 yen, featuring high-quality Sado tuna. They say that if the price comes down in the future, they would like to increase the menu to include items other than sushi. In fact, much of the Sado tuna is shipped to the Kanto region.
Yamaguchi, the president of Yamakou, who has won the bid for the top tuna at the first auction of the year for five consecutive years since 2021, says that spring Sado tuna is his absolute favorite. Yamaguchi Yukitaka, president of Yamakou: “The lean meat has a spring-like aroma, and the sinews are soft. I’ve bought 60? 70? Sado tuna in the last month. It goes well with sushi. It’s also delicious as sashimi.” Today, he purchased one weighing 159 kg and supplied it to famous restaurants such as Ginza Kyubei and a members-only sushi restaurant in Aoyama. Tomita, the owner of Sushi Tomita, says that Sado tuna at this time of year is generally of high quality. Tomita Ryuji of Sushi Tomita: “The fineness of the particles and the smoothness of the fat are in great shape. The color of the lean meat is also very beautiful. (Q. Are you happy to receive it?) I’m very happy.”
As for the price, Yamaguchi, a wholesaler, says that if the amount distributed increases further in the future, it may become affordable enough for home consumers to enjoy. Yamaguchi Yukitaka, president of Yamakou: “We’ve supplied quite a lot to supermarkets this year. I think it’s delicious tuna that even ordinary people can buy at an affordable price.” A fish shop in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, received a shipment of Sado tuna once in the middle of last month. They were able to sell it for 1,200 yen per 100 grams, which is a great price for bluefin tuna, and they would definitely like to continue handling it if they get more in stock in the future. ▼TBS NEWS DIG Official Website
