Low Quantities Of Taiwan Bluefin Tuna This Year ff
25 April 2005
Taiwan Not only does the ban in Taiwan on U.S. grade beef have local consumers hungering for more, there’s another shortage that’s driving up food prices. It’s the Bluefin tuna season, but due to the scarcity of the fish, Taiwanese restaurants and five star hotels are scrambling to get their hands on what little is available on the market. With the season arriving a bit late this year, supplies are unable to meet market demand. There’s even speculation that the price of Bluefin tuna will rise to four times the normal price.
It just melts in your mouth. The spread of the various kinds of Bluefin tuna laid out here is enough to make anyone’s mouth water. Here, a single slice of the tuna sashimi goes for between NT$400 to NT$500 (USD 12.8 to USD 16). Just one single bite will cost NT$50 (USD 1.6). Even the ice cream will set you back NT$400, but there are still plenty of people waiting in line for it. And even if your pockets were filled with wads of money, you still wouldn’t be able to get a bite of the delicious tuna.
“On the 7th where the Pingtung Fisherman Association starts their auctioning, we hope after they start then the supply will be stable and then we’ll start pushing forth our tuna set meals.â€
After checking with five star hotels and fine dining establishments all around Taipei, all of them gave us a similar answer: that customers are being told that they will have to wait until at least May 1st. It seems that the spawning season for the Bluefin tuna has come a bit late this year, and this has led to an insufficient supply of the tuna.
Besides the tourists who rush to Pingtung every year in order to be the first to get their hands on the Bluefin tuna, the shortage will also make it more difficult for even average consumers to get a piece of the tuna.
“Well they hope to be the first when the tuna are caught and to be able to go there and eat a grand meal. This year 30 to 40 tourists have already left their contact information where they want to be the first ones to eat the Bluefin tuna.â€
People all over Taiwan want to get their hands on the delicious tuna, so it’s no surprise that prices are going up to meet the demand. There’s even news of prices going as high as four times the normal price of last year, which means that the already-expensive Bluefin tuna will be almost unobtainable.
