The year's first blowfish auction kicked off early Monday morning in the western Japan port city of Shimonoseki.

Before dawn, some 1.7 tons of the torafugu variety arrived at the city's Haedomari fish market, where blowfish is landed most. The catch included the coveted wild blowfish from the Sea of Japan and the Seto Inland Sea. The largest blowfish weighed about 4.5 kilograms.

The auction coincides with the start of blowfish fishing season this month.

Bidding began at 3:20 a.m. Deals were negotiated the traditional way. Individual buyers thrust their hands through a sleeve worn by the seller and indicated how much they would pay by touching his fingers.
This way, their bids were hidden from other buyers.

Bids sank for the third year in a row. The highest price was more than 110 dollars per kilogram, about 14 dollars cheaper than last year.

A source in the whole market attributes the lower prices to the coronavirus pandemic, as demand for the high-end fish at restaurants has yet to fully recover.

Hotter-than-usual weather this month also pushed down demand for the winter delicacy, served in steaming broth.

Blowfish bought at the auction will be shipped mainly to Tokyo and Osaka.