Bluefin Tuna is an excellent fish. What you are missing is that you don't understand the part of Japanese culture that developed under the pressure of being a heavy populated island with limited resources. Melons are special. If they are specific Japanese melon or made square by placing developing fruit into a box then they are even more special. Now if you've ever had a fresh picked ripe watermelon from Green River or a fresh picked ripe cantaloupe from Arkansas let me assure you that you aren't going to find a better melon in Japan. Their growing conditions just can't match up even if they get people paying $40- $400 a melon there. Kobe beef is very good but no Japanese raised and prepared beef begins to match up with say a good BBQ brisket from Kansas City, Dallas or Austin. Bluefin Tuna is were this culture goes to extremes. Unfortunately Japanese demands have seriously strained the worldwide Bluefin tuna stock. I just moved to NM after a few years in the Boston area. In Boston the next-door neighbors brother would take them out and fish for Bluefin Tuna. I'd put fresh Bluefin Tuna up just above fresh Halibut but below Alaskan Spot Prawns as my favorite seafood.
Yes premium Kobe and Bluefin are going to be heavily marbled and certainly add to the texture and flavor profile but they still aren't going to be special foods to most of us not raised in that culture. When some restaurant or business person in Japan pays a couple million for a Bluefin Tuna it is seen in the context of being a "special" event.
Now you got me hungry. If only there was someway for me to get a few pounds of fresh Alaskan Spot prawns now.
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In April I’ll be an AK resident and will set shrimp pots out for sure. Spotted prawns are the best seafood I’ve ever had too. Bluefin are an extremely regulated industry and I doubt rookies could cash in on a 1.8mil bluefin with the barriers to entry that exist. Mainly selling a bluefin becomes commercial and then commercial regulations apply. For good reason though. Id love to catch one though.
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[fishon] Ron - I thought we were going to take up surf fishing this year?
You have a better chance of winning the lottery than getting into the Blue Fine Tuna business. Go buy a lotto ticket on your way home from the Gore.
Rob
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Thanks, RiverDog, Quicky and JustAWormGuy (Rob)!
I love seafood! I'll catch it myself and not pay $3,000 a pound. If I catch a blue fin tuna, I'll eat it.
I will go to Alaska someday!
Yes, Rob, it will be surf fishing. Most of my fishing has been in my childhood and it was deep sea fishing on our family boat, but I still have never surf fished. I like to learn all styles of fishing, so I keep switching. Surf fishing makes sense to me because one day I will buy a sailboat and travel a lot.
Ronald
I'm jealous. Where are you residing In Alaska? I still have ocean front property just south of Coffman Cove on Prince of Wales Island. If I can get some other property sold I'm planning to use the proceeds to build a cabin there. Hopefully this summer. You didn't use to have to be a resident to put out shrimp pots. Has that changed recently?
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I’m near Anchorage. In southcentral only residents can set shrimp pots. I’m thinking it’s the same for southeast as well. That’s neat you have property on prince of Wales island. I know a guy from Logan who retired and bought a couple acres and built a half cabin on prince of Wales island. The enclosed half is where he stored a 16ft alloy boat and the open half is where the camper parked with a roof over it. He’d stay the summers up there. I’ve got my eyes on some property but I have to convince the better half that it’s worth putting up a small cabin on.
If you’re in the anchorage area pm me since I have a decent sized boat and can go out of Whittier, Seward or Homer. I’m always looking for excuses to go out.
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Well if that's the case, I might need to move to Alaska[
]. I've only set out crab pots uo there.. On one of our trips a few years ago my nephew traded some Halibut for Spot prawns. The guys that caught the prawns were from California. Hopefully they did everything legally at the time but I was only involved with the eating of the cooked prawns. I was totally blown away by the flavor. A mix of lobster and shrimp just far better than either.
I guess we totally hijacked this post.
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So while the hi-jack is under way, what are the chances for some of the rest of us to pester you if we get up to AK... I'd love to do a halibut trip out of Homer again... We had a blast up there... Been 15 years for me, it's about time to get back up that way... Never tried those spotted prawns but I'd love to... Later Jeff
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I’ll pm you so the hijacking is kept to a minimum.
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Not so easy. Those guys would never buy a Bluefin from a non-Japanese fisherman. Sorry.
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[quote riverdog]... I guess we totally hijacked this post.[/quote]
But, it's the best conversation and we can take it a bit further to perhaps inspire our Big Fish Tackle Alaska Flotilla!
Ronald
Most bluefin tunas caught in the world end up in Japan. But typical prices are far lower than the insanity/ publicity stunt (I'm so special buying this attitude) than the rare ones that go for a couple million. In the US I believe most Bluefin Tuna are caught off of Massachusetts and North Carolina. According to this article the average tuna fisherman in Massachusetts (I'm pretty sure that's only Bluefin there) makes about $30,000. North Carolina doesn't make the list as income is lower.
https://careertrend.com/a-tuna-fisherman...60012.html
On top of that Great White Sharks are an increasing nuisance off of Cape Cod.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_conti...e=emb_logo
I would quit your day job just yet.
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