I usually try to steer clear of bluefin tuna (hon-maguro) at the store and sushi bar since it’s listed as unsustainably fished at Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch. However, for hon-maguro and toro fans out there, Kinki Daigaku (Kinki University, Kindai) has developed a method of farming bluefin tuna from its eggs to adulthood. It may be possible to enjoy sustainably harvested bluefin tuna in the future. Of course, it remains to be seen whether these carnivorous fish can be fed in captivity in a sustainable way.
The Kindai tuna became available in Japan in 2004, and an article in last week’s San Francisco Chronicle food section tells which San Francisco area restaurants are selling the fish. The demand for sustainable bluefin outpaces the supply in America still, so it is currently a hot commodity.
I’ll keep an eye open to see if I can find it here in Maebashi.
