Shimonoseki holds first seasonal fugu auction

The first auction of the fugu (blowfish) season took place early on the morning of September 28 at the Minamikaze-domari Temporary Market in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The event marks the start of the season in a region known for handling the highest volume of tiger pufferfish in Japan.

The auction utilized the traditional ‘fukuro-seri’ method, where bidders and wholesalers communicate prices by squeezing fingers inside a bag. This year, the auction included approximately 110 kilograms of wild pufferfish and about 2.5 tons of farmed varieties.

Due to high seawater temperatures and the impact of recent typhoons, the supply of wild pufferfish decreased by 240 kilograms compared to last year. Consequently, the highest price recorded for wild pufferfish reached 21,000 yen per kilogram, an increase of 4,000 yen over the previous year. The catch will be shipped across Japan, primarily to the Tokyo and Kansai regions.