Snow crab auctioned for record $46,000 in Japan

Nov. 7 (UPI) -- A snow crab caught in Japan was auctioned for a record $46,000, the prefecture's fisheries association announced.

The Tottori Prefecture Fisheries Association said the 2.7 pound itsukiboshi crab, which boasts a 5.7-inch shell, was caught at the start of the fishing season Tuesday and was sold at the first auction of the season at Tottori port.

The crab fetched a high bid of $46,000 from crab seller Kanemasa Hamashita Shoten. The company previously set a world record last year when it paid $18,300 for a crab auctioned in the same place.

"We came to this year's first auction hoping that we would bid the world's highest price again," a representative for the company told Kyodo News. "I believe it is a good crab filled with meat."

The representative said the crab is destined for a restaurant in the Ginza shopping district of Tokyo.