Demand for farmed red sea bream (madai) increased from mid-December in the run-up to the New Year, as grilled whole bream is a centerpiece for the occasion.
Product sold at Tokyo's Tsukiji wholesale market on 18 December was mainly imported and ranged from JPY 810 to 972 (USD 6.79 to 8.14, EUR 5.74 to 6.90). This is a tad higher than a year ago. It had sold at approximately JPY 800 in December of 2014, after declining 10 percent from the summer, due to reduced demand in Korea.
Japan supplies most of its own market and exports, but also imports some product during high-demand periods, mainly from South Korea, where it is called ch'amdom. Though Korea was a good market for Japan in years past, seafood exports took a hit in September 2013, when South Korea banned imports from eight Japanese prefectures over radiation concerns. Besides the affected products, the ban has made Koreans wary of all Japanese seafood. So, Japan’s sea bream exports have declined even though most bream is farmed in areas well south of Fukushima.
Japan has protested the ban as not based on science. In response, South Korean experts visited the reactor site to learn about leaks and cleanup activities. A second four-day follow-up investigation began on Tuesday, 13 January. A team of South Korean researchers and consumer group representatives are visiting wholesale markets in Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate prefectures to assess inspection procedures for detecting radioactive substances in seafood.
Adult Day (also known as Coming of Age Day), celebrated on 11 January, is when young people reaching the age of 20 are considered to be legal adults and full-fledged members of society. Red sea bream and red rice (colored with adzuki beans) are traditional festive dishes, as red is considered a celebratory color. Storms in the Sea of Japan limited fishing and larger wild fish were in short supply, though farmed product was available.
Real earnings of Japanese consumers are declining as the yen weakens and the consumption tax hike bites, and this may dampen Japan’s appetite for luxuries. A cheaper alternative to red sea bream is renkodai (yellowback bream, Evynnis tumifrons). The color is not as red, nor the size as large, and the flesh is less firm, being slightly mushy by comparison. Yet, the plate presentation is similar and it fills the ceremonial role for whole grilled bream. Half-kilogram whole gutted renkodai were offered in Osaka area supermarkets for Adult Day at just JPY 398 (USD 3.41, EUR 2.88).
In the future, consumers may have a variety of crossbred breams to choose from. Kinki University in Wakayama Prefecture is famous for its closed-cycle bluefin project, but has also developed a cross of a female red sea bream (Pagrus major) and a male crimson sea bream (Evynnis japonica). Wild red sea bream are a fresh red color, but the farm-hatched fish are darkened by UV rays. Conversely, the crimson sea bream grows slowly, but does not lose its crimson color when farm-raised. The two were crossed, resulting in a new species that is red like wild fish and grows faster than wild crimson sea bream.
