Average Price Of Fresh W/R Bluefin Imported By EU 10% Upff

European tuna sashimi lovers may need to get used to paying more and more for it, since the price of the major species used in this traditional Japanese dish, Bluefin, has increased by 10% in only one year-time in regard to internal European Union (EU) trade, reaching US$ 5.06 per kg in 2007.

The prices for Bluefin tuna reached US$ 11.67 per kg when imported by Belgium. The raise on the average cost of this species reduced EU imports by 9% in 2007 - 6.136 M/T - compared to the previous year. Countries like Italy and France had a significant lower share of the EU market between that period.

The largest share of the EU imports of Bluefin concerns transactions done in the EU; business between the Bluefin catching EU member states. Nevertheless, the majority of this tuna was still exported to Japan, and not consumed within the EU.

However, Spain and France were still the major suppliers of Bluefin in Europe and even though the latter’s export quantity has been reduced, its rate followed the general trend and went up 19% in 2007.

Bluefin, known as the “floating goldmines”, is the most valuable tuna species. Its tender and juicy meat has become the most appreciated one for sushi and sashimi and it is mainly consumed in Japan. Its price can reach US $ 40,000 for one single fish in Japan. Nevertheless, environmentalists alert for scarcity of Bluefin in the future, since it’s not an easy species to find and not rapidly reproduced, which can affect directly its market value.