TUNA TRADERS

OMA JAPAN (NYT)---Fishermen here call it “black gold,” referring to the dark red flesh of the Pacific bluefin tuna that is so prized in this sashimi-loving nation that just one of these sleek fish, which can weigh a half-ton, can earn tens of thousands of dollars.

The cold waters here once yielded such an abundance of bluefin, with such thick layers of tasty rich fat, that this tiny wind-swept seaport became Japan’s answer to California’s Napa Valley or the Brie cheese-producing region of France: a geographic location that is nearly synonymous with one of its nation’s premier foods.

BANZAI7 NEWS--Wall Street traders here call it “fools gold,” referring to the illiquid mortgage backed securities once so prized in this sashimi reeking financial district that just one sleek CDO issue, which can weigh a few billion dollars, can earn tens of millions of dollars of commissions.

The cold waters here once yielded such an abundance of asset backed munching fish, with such thick layer$ of tasty rich fat, that Wall Street became New York's answer to California’s Silicon Valley.