Tsukiji fish market kicks off year's trade

The first auction of the New Year has taken place at Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market, one of the biggest seafood markets in the world.

About 300 wholesalers attended a ceremony on Tuesday at the market, which is also known as the kitchen of the Tokyo metropolitan area due to its massive trading volume.

A representative of the wholesalers said in a speech that despite the cuts in the tuna fishing quota, traders should work hard to ensure stable supplies, because the fish means so much to Japanese dinner tables.

The usual activity then quickly returned to the auction floor, where about 2,300 tunas were sold amid the sound of bells and trading calls.
The most sought-after batch fetched about 16-million yen, or 177,000 dollars.

The successful bidder said the price was high, but that he's happy to have secured the best fish. He added that even though the economy remains tough, he hopes this year will be a little better than the last.