KUSHIMOTO, Wakayama Prefecture–Artificially bred eastern little tuna, a rare delicacy in Japan, hit store shelves for the first time on Jan. 16.
Called “suma” by locals, the fish is a member of the mackerel family that is renowned for its fatty meat. It is known as “whole-body toro,” in reference to the fatty “toro” portion of tuna, which is much prized in Japan.
Eastern little tuna are seldom caught in seas around Japan and rarely appear on household dinner tables.
Artificial breeding of suma started in fiscal 2012 in Wakayama Prefecture, and researchers for the first time succeeded in the processes of egg-laying, hatching and cultivation of the fish.
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