This 282 pound Japanese bluefin tuna was purchased at auction for $100,000 at the first auction of the New Year on the Tokyo Metropolitan central Wholesale market, commonly known as the Tsukiji market. The price was about ten times the average price and the highest in nearly a decade.

Two sushi owners, one in Hong Kong and one in Japan, paid out for the large fish Monday. This is the first large fish Tokyo auction this year, which usually determines how the market will react over the course of the year. So, if that’s true, we’re in for a very stakes year.

Members of international tuna conservation organizations have agreed to cut their bluefin catch quota for 2009 by 20 percent to 22,000 tons which could mean more high prices this year.

Yesterday, some of you, reading our post on NYC aquariums, were probably wondering how come a simple fish can be as expensive as a luxury car. Here is the answer !

The fish that was getting all the attention at Aquarama 2007, and is considered by some to be the most expensive aquarium fish in the world, is a 15″ platinum arowana .This particular aquatic vertebrate is owned by Aro Dynasty, a Dragon fish breeder based out of Singapore.

Its white coloration is an exceedingly rare mutation of the rather common arowana. Arowanas are not usually so pricey, but this platinum-colored mutation is unique in its own way. This fish is of the species Osteoglossum that are mostly found in South America.

The fish measures around 40cm/15″ in length, and looks stunning. It is, however, not entirely perfect because It does have one minor flaw. The fish’s right eye is starting to look downwards. This is a common problem with arowanas and in fact many keepers are paying for cosmetic surgery for their prized arowanas.

It was recently offered for sale to prospective buyers by a UK arowana importer for more than £200,000 ($300,000). However, Aro Dynasty told Practical Fishkeeping Online that the fish is now “off the market.” It confirmed that it turned down S$80,000 for the fish a few years ago.

NYC-based Okeanos Aquascaping, is an international custom aquarium and pond company specializing in the integration of cutting edge designs, hand-picked exotic fish, coral and other livestock, brilliant colors, and mesmerizing effects.

Sure, you could go to a beach or an aquarium anytime to see exotic aquatic life. But you guys deserve the finest luxuries in life, right ? So why not take a trip or build a customized aquarium in your home?

Okeanos is now offering five-star experiential vacations where customers can travel with Okeanos’ staff around the world to see exotic fish, coral and other livestock in its natural habitats.
The client will have the opportunity to pick out the fish, coral and livestock that he/she wishes, and Okeanos will replicate the environment in the customer’s location of choice.

That sounds very “luxury” though… but a bit selfish too (bad joke…time to sleep). Although fish must not really suffer in such big aquariums, I just hope I’m not actually doing publicity for a company which help people who plan to bring back some endangered species home! And unfortunately at $100,000 each, I guess we cannot find this kind of fish everywhere…

Though, if customers get bored with their luxury fish, they can still turn them into the world’s most expensive sushis, we will be glad to feature them once again on Luxuo ^_^

A fisherman in China’s Zhejiang province has netted a fish that, according to local tradition, may sell for over 1 million yuan (about 140,000 U.S. dollars).

Li Shaoshuang, from Cangnan county of the coastal province, caught it in his Saturday’s first cast while working offshore nearby the Xiangshan harbor.

“It is dark brown all over, 1.2-meter long and 15-kg in weight,” said the veteran fisherman Li who has already frozen the fish. “It’s my first time to see this kind of fish.”

A fellow 60-year-old fisherman who came with others to Li to get a glance of the fish told him in great surprise that it is Bahaba flavolabiata (Chinese bahaba) which have disappeared from the site for at least 50 years.

Due to its extreme scarcity, the air bladder of Chinese bahaba is said to be as expensive as gold in weight. More than a decade ago, another fisherman of the same county caught a Chinese bahaba of less than 3.5 kg but fetched for more than 100,000. Therefore, fishermen on the scene urged Li to ask for at least 1 million for his.

To make sure it is a sky-high pricing Chinese bababa, the fishermen sent for an aquatic research institution expert the next day, who uttered the appearance should tell it’s a Chinese bahaba no doubt, but, still, a dissection is needed to make sure it is not another species similar to Chinese bahaba.

Li declined the expert’s suggestion in fear that it would ruin the fish and lower the selling price. He also turned down a fish vendor’s offer of 500,000 for this queer fish, making it clear he would not let it go for less than 1 million.

In April 2007, a fisherman in Zhanjiang City, Guangdong province, netted a 49-kg Chinese bahaba and sold to a restaurant for 580,000 yuan. The restaurant cooked the fish meat but has kept the dried maw since, tagging it at 2 million yuan with words “not for sale.”