Tuna fetches record price in year's first auction

A batch of bluefin tuna has fetched a record price in the year's first auction at Tokyo's Tsukiji market -- one of the largest seafood markets in the world.

Trading began at 5 in the morning on Wednesday after some 300 wholesalers performed a traditional hand-clapping ritual to pray for good business.

The trading floor was filled with nearly 500 tunas, some caught in waters near Japan and others flown in from overseas.

A prized bluefin hauled off Hokkaido in northern Japan was auctioned for more than 32-million yen, or about 390,000 dollars. Officials say that's the highest price in the 12 years that they've been keeping records.

The bluefin was co-purchased by the owner of a sushi restaurant chain in Hong Kong and a high-end sushi spot in Tokyo's Ginza district.

The Hong Kong owner, Ricky Chen, said tunas traded in Japan are of exquisite quality, and that he wanted to buy one at any price.

The Ginza sushi master, Yosuke Imada, said the price was higher than he expected, but his guests would be delighted by its quality.

Japanese sushi restaurants are finding it increasingly difficult to purchase bluefin tuna caught off Japan, due to the fish's growing popularity among Chinese gourmands.