The rarest tuna of all - Japan's farmed Kindai

by Carolyn Jung

Editor's Note: This story is part of an occasional series on issues surrounding our food supply.

These days, sit down at a sushi bar for a plate of unctuous, glistening toro, and along with it will come a heap of guilt and grief.

Toro, the Kobe beef of fish, is the extremely pricey, highly coveted, fattiest part of a bluefin tuna. The species is so prized for its lush belly meat that in the past century, it has been severely overfished. Of equal concern, it also contains among the highest mercury levels of any seafood.

But now a farm-raised bluefin called Kindai - the first ever raised in captivity from the egg - offers what some consider a promising new alternative. Produced by a Japanese university fisheries laboratory, Kindai is being touted as a more healthful and more eco-friendly option. However, marine scientists say whether it proves a true panacea remains to be seen.

You won't find Kindai in your local supermarket or Asian seafood store. Because supplies are severely limited, the only way to experience its silky, rich, clean taste is at one of a handful of Bay Area restaurants, including the French Laundry in Yountville, the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco, Sebo in San Francisco, Hana in Rohnert Park and Manresa in Los Gatos.

Each week, one shipment of Kindai, generally three 130- to 200-pound fish, is flown from Japan to the United States. One fish goes to New York, and the other two to the Bay Area.

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