The fresh Tuna season has commenced. The first Tuna auction of the year was recently held in Japan. Japan consumes approximately 25% of the world's total tuna harvest. However, they also consume vast amounts of wild Alaska salmon including all five species of the Pacific Salmon. Japan is the largest importer of Alaska salmon.

According to Alaska Journal of Commerce, the average price per pound of salmon at the delivery point in 2006 was as follows:
King Salmon: $2.27 Per Pound
Sockeye Salmon: .73 Per Pound
Coho Salmon: .68 Per Pound
Chum Salmon: .27 Per Pound
Pink Salmon: .12 Per Pound

A large percentage of the prime tuna is sold at a public auction, very similar to the livestock auctions that we see in the United States. Recently, when the first tuna auction of the year was held, the most expensive tuna, a Bluefin Tuna weighing 454.5 pounds was sold to the sushi bar market for a total of 4.13 million yen. So you do not have to do the math, that equates out to $35,000 dollars. Knowing that you do not have calculator handy, that computes out to just a touch over $77.00 per pound.

When you look at it in a dollar sense, you could spend $35,000 for a 454.5 pound tuna, however for the same amount you could purchase 15,419 pounds of King Salmon. If you wanted to be an economical shopper, for the same $35,000 you could purchase 291,667 pounds of Pink Salmon.

You make the choice, eat tuna or support your local commercial fishermen and eat salmon. As for me, give me one of those big, one inch thick rib eye steaks, baked potato with sour cream, butter, chives, and steamed asparagus but first bring me an order of those sauteed mushrooms filled with smoked salmon dip and garnished with a light cheese for an appetizer with a bottle of Merlot.