Sushi-Loving Japan Fears Push For Tuna Export Ban

[The Straight Story]

Sushi-Loving Japan Fears Push For Tuna Export Ban

Seafood-loving Japan — having faced years of international pressure to stop whaling — finds itself with a potentially bigger fight over a highly prized type of tuna that conservation groups say is being fished to extinction.

A proposal to ban the export of Atlantic bluefin tuna — vaunted for its succulent red and pink meat — could slash supplies and drive up prices in Japan, the world's biggest consumer and importer of the fish.

Talk of banning imports of the species has made some Japanese feel their very way of life is under attack. The fish is often served as sushi, the iconic Japanese dish.

"Any ban is going to have a big impact culturally and economically," said Masaru Nakazawa, a 63-year-old wholesaler at Tokyo's sprawling Tsukiji fish market.

But environmentalists say the Atlantic bluefin is a vanishing species and insist a ban on its export by the world body that governs wildlife trade is the last chance to save it in the face of skyrocketing global demand and a failure by governments to abide by existing quotas.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122619685

[dkf]

1. Anyone know which sushi is affected?

Aka the Japanese name?

[psychopomp]

2. maguro

However, there is a Pacific bluefin variety as well, so this does not include all maguro. On the other hand, all tuna stocks worldwide are being depleted due to overfishing, so much so that one of the big J-companies, I forget which one, is rumored to be stocking up and freezing the fish to thaw them out and sell in three years when the market is gutted.

[dkf]

4. I hope you are joking. Isn't that the most popular sushi there is?

What other fish is there in enough volume to replace it? Or do we not get to eat sushi anymore? I love sushi. This sucks.

[timeforpeace]

3. Toro is bluefin. Maguro is yellowfin. Some sushi places say their maguro is bluefin, but if it isn't

$10 per piece, it's not bluefin. An export ban would be great. These great creatures need a break.

[dkf]

5. Thank goodness

Toro is so expensive anyway.

[timeforpeace]

7. Yeah, and I like the taste of maguro better. But I'll leave both behind for hamachi, which can be

farm raised.

[dkf]

8. Hamachi is my favorite!

I am totally into a hamachi maki which is a spicy ahi maki with avocado topped with a full piece of hamachi. I use this with a ponzu wasabi sauce. Heaven.

[psychopomp]

10. Maybe in the States

Toro is the fatty belly of the tuna, which can be either variety. I live in Japan so I don't know how much Atlantic fish makes it over here...

[LiberalFighter]

6. They should reserve it for special occassions.

Maybe every third or fourth year it would not be allowed.

or

Every third or fourth year it would be allowed.

or

Every year that American made vehicles outsell those sold in Japan.

[sakabatou]

9. More tamago sushi for me