The bluefin tuna near Tsukiji fish market.

A BLUEFIN tuna caught off north-eastern Japan fetched a record 56.49 million yen, or about €572,000, in the first auction of the year at Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market.

The price for the 593-pound (269kg) tuna beat last year’s record of €329,000.

The price translates to €2,126 per pound, also a record, said Yutaka Hasegawa, a Tsukiji market official.