Bluefin Tuna

Scrawled on the white board hung behind the bar at Noshi Sushi in Los Angeles, the word " otoro " (fatty tuna) beckons seafood lovers. For the connoisseur, this is the main attraction, the filet mignon of sushi. Atop a small mound of rice, a heavily marbled slice of fish sits precariously — so oily that it's on the verge of falling apart. With one bite, the exquisite cut of bluefin will melt into oblivion. Bluefin tuna may not be a household name, but its taste and texture are famous — and increasingly infamous — among sushi aficionados across the world.

With $736,000, some people would buy a helicopter. Or a small Beverly Hills home. Or 150 Rolex watches. But with his six figures, Kiyoshi Kimura picked up a single frozen tuna. Specifically, a 593-pound bluefin sold during the first auction of the year at Japan's Tsukiji fish market, which will go to feed customers at Kimura's Tokyo-based Sushi-Zanmai sushi chain, according to the Associated Press. The price busted past Tsukiji's record of $421,000, paid last year by a Hong Kong bidder.

With $736,000, some people would buy a helicopter. Or a small Beverly Hills home. Or 150 Rolex watches. But with his six figures, Kiyoshi Kimura picked up a single frozen tuna. Specifically, a 593-pound bluefin sold during the first auction of the year at Japan's Tsukiji fish market, which will go to feed customers at Kimura's Tokyo-based Sushi-Zanmai sushi chain, according to the Associated Press. The price busted past Tsukiji's record of $421,000, paid last year by a Hong Kong bidder.

Scrawled on the white board hung behind the bar at Noshi Sushi in Los Angeles, the word " otoro " (fatty tuna) beckons seafood lovers. For the connoisseur, this is the main attraction, the filet mignon of sushi. Atop a small mound of rice, a heavily marbled slice of fish sits precariously — so oily that it's on the verge of falling apart. With one bite, the exquisite cut of bluefin will melt into oblivion. Bluefin tuna may not be a household name, but its taste and texture are famous — and increasingly infamous — among sushi aficionados across the world.

Europeans love to diss the selective environmentalism of Americans. And they have a point, given this nation's lax attitude about many toxic substances and its late arrival to the anti-global-warming club. But when it comes to wallet issues, Europe can be right up there in its unwillingness to save the planet. Some of the most heated opposition to ending the overfishing of Atlantic bluefin tuna has come from the continent, especially in the region along the Mediterranean with a big bluefin fishing industry.

Bluefin tuna risk being fished to extinction in the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea, a conservation group warned, appealing for an immediate ban on catches. The World Wide Fund for Nature said catches were running at 40% above the legal quota. It said boats from Libya, Turkey and European Union nations led by France were responsible for most of the illegal and unregulated catches.

The best is yet to come. There's a variety of fish to be caught. With albacore failing to show, anglers are getting excited fishing Catalina with the chance that a bluefin tuna run could be in the offing. All day boats fishing the island report in the last several days that the blues have been feeding but mostly refuse a baited hook. The First String from 22nd Street Landing was the first boat to locate the blues, and had 11 hookups early Monday morning but landed only one.

Albacore may not be cooperating fully with fishermen aboard San Diego's huge fleet of sportfishers, but the bite is improving and schools of large bluefin tuna have moved into waters reachable by the overnight boats. Two weeks ago, the Pronto brought in the season's first bigeye tuna--three fish at 85 pounds apiece--and since then the bluefins have become the primary attraction, with many in the 40- to 50-pound class.

In her cluttered office overlooking Monterey Bay, Barbara Block is poring over computer printouts that are revolutionizing what the world knows about one of the most sought-after, mysterious animals on Earth--the giant Atlantic bluefin tuna. "This is my favorite biological activity--getting inside the heads of these fish," said Block, a Stanford University marine biologist who directs the Tuna Research and Conservation Center at Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Bluefin tuna and yellowtail success stories continue for South Bay anglers, with overnight party boats concentrating their efforts on Cortez and Tanner banks. After the boats reach the fishing area before daylight, anglers snag small mackerel and fill the tanks with bait. The boat captains point out that those who prefer line above 50 pounds can land a tuna in less than 25 minutes. Anglers who prefer to use 20- to 30-pound test line fight a huge tuna for an hour or more.

Europeans love to diss the selective environmentalism of Americans. And they have a point, given this nation's lax attitude about many toxic substances and its late arrival to the anti-global-warming club. But when it comes to wallet issues, Europe can be right up there in its unwillingness to save the planet. Some of the most heated opposition to ending the overfishing of Atlantic bluefin tuna has come from the continent, especially in the region along the Mediterranean with a big bluefin fishing industry.

The Obama administration has indicated that when it comes to international agreements, it's giving high priority to arms control, human rights, law enforcement, investment and maritime law. With respect to the environment, it has listed climate change, plant genetic resources and persistent organic pollutants, among others. Tuna fish haven't been mentioned. Unfortunately, that omission reveals a sea of trouble, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a rare chance to correct if it acts quickly and if NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco follows her best scientific instincts.

Pacific bluefin tuna leave Japan's coast and swim east at breakneck speed to school in North American coastal waters. Many of them return on nonstop flights from Los Angeles as slabs of fresh toro, the "foie gras of the sea," fattened, refrigerated and ready for the sashimi knives. The transformation happens in underwater pens that are 150 feet wide and 45 feet deep, where wild-caught bluefin are fattened on fresh sardines to develop the buttery texture prized in Japan.

Bluefin tuna risk being fished to extinction in the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea, a conservation group warned, appealing for an immediate ban on catches. The World Wide Fund for Nature said catches were running at 40% above the legal quota. It said boats from Libya, Turkey and European Union nations led by France were responsible for most of the illegal and unregulated catches.

In her cluttered office overlooking Monterey Bay, Barbara Block is poring over computer printouts that are revolutionizing what the world knows about one of the most sought-after, mysterious animals on Earth--the giant Atlantic bluefin tuna. "This is my favorite biological activity--getting inside the heads of these fish," said Block, a Stanford University marine biologist who directs the Tuna Research and Conservation Center at Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Farmers demand their right to exterminate the chinook salmon. Lumbermen demand their right to cut down the last old-growth redwood. Japan's sushi devotees demand their right to catch and consume the last bluefin tuna. The National Rifle Assn. demands the right of a lunatic to gun down children at play. What a world we live in! CLYDE VAN HEMERT Glendale

Chris Isom, 27, an auto parts dealer from La Habra, thought he had his hooks into a prized bluefin tuna, but when the bright- orange, moon- shaped creature came into view, he knew . . . well, he didn't know what to think. "My heart sank when I saw that stupid fish," he said. "I thought it was just a big goldfish."

The biggest thing to happen off our coast this summer? Ask any fisherman and you'll get a quick answer--albacore. Surely, no species of game fish gets the adrenaline flowing quite like albacore, which have been teeming in offshore waters recently. But the biggest thing to happen off our coast? It has nothing to do with tuna. Whales are here and they're putting on such a show in some areas that even some fishermen are giddy about their presence.