Greenpeace Tells Obama To Make 'More Responsible' Food Choices After Meal At Restaurant That Serves Endangered Sushi
"As a role model, people will naturally follow you. The global appetite for bluefin tuna has destroyed this species, pushing it to brink of extinction. It needs to be protected," Casson Trenor, Greenpeace's oceans campaigner, said in a statement to Business Insider. "Greenpeace encourages President Obama to make responsible food choices wherever he travels, in hope that others will do the same."
Obama dined with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Sukiyabashi Jiro in Tokyo's upscale Ginza district Wednesday evening. The restaurant's chef, Jiro Ono, is considered to be one of the world's finest sushi chefs. Sukiyabashi Jiro's website indicates there is only one item on the menu, the "Chef's Recommended Special Course," which costs about $300 and reportedly includes bluefin tuna.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider asking whether Obama ate bluefin tuna at Sukiyabashi Jiro.
It is not clear which variety of bluefin tuna is served at the restaurant, but all three main types of the fish are threatened. Atlantic and Southern bluefin tuna are both officially recognized as endangered. The third variety, Pacific bluefin, has not been given that designation yet, but an assessment released by the International Scientific Committee For Tuna and Tuna-like Species in the North Pacific Ocean Monday found overfishing has brought the number of Pacific bluefin tuna down 96% to "historically low" levels.
Its scarcity has lead bluefin to command incredibly high prices in Japan. Last year, a single bluefin sold for $1.76 million at Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market. In January, the Pew Charitable Trusts predicted the world may soon see its "last Pacific bluefin."
After his meal at Sukiyabashi Jiro, Obama praised the quality of the fish.
"That's some good sushi right there," he said.