Tuna mania

Tuna mania is the name given to a social and economic phenomenon that occurred in western Teudallum, in countries such as Azmir, Berique, Cadenza and Nikolia, in the mid-sixteenth century, and had its greatest effects in Kur'zhet. It was an unprecedented event that saw an exponential increase in demand for tuna, a large oceanic fish, in the affected countries. At the time of tuna mania, the fish had been absent from Kur'zheti and other Teudallic markets for over a century. Once regular trade was established with the remote island state of Valle Crucis, the fish was slowly reintroduced to Kur'zhet in the late 1540s, but prices suddenly rose dramatically in 1553, the beginning of tuna mania. Demand did not drop proportionately, despite the difficulty in bringing catches north from the fishing grounds of Valle Crucis. Instead, it became among the costliest and most desirable luxury goods available, and its new reputation spread rapidly to nearby countries that, in turn, experienced a lesser degree of tuna mania.

Tuna mania is sometimes considered the first economic bubble known from Astyria, as it saw futures being sold in tuna, speculative financing of fishing fleets and widespread and untenable inflation in the prices of tuna before the market abruptly collapsed in 1558.

Historical background

Tuna are large, predatory saltwater fish. The most common species found off the western Teudallic coast is the Jajexan tuna (Thunnus tenedoi), which grows to a maximum length of c. 2 metres (6.6 ft) and can weigh up to 190 kilograms (420 lb). Because of their size, weight and agility, they are challenging to catch in the open ocean. This, combined with the quality of their meat, means that they have always commanded a premium in fish markets. Several medieval Ethlorek authors spoke highly of tuna dishes, and a handful of poems in Kur'zhet's rich maritime literature describe the tuna as a particularly elegant and admired fish. A stone carving on a thirteenth-century chapel in Cadenzan Laeryt (northwest Azmir) which depicts Jesus and His disciples as fishermen, a motif commonly associated with the Siresian Order, is thought specifically to show tuna as the fish being caught. This is in part because access to tuna in this area greatly increased from the late twelfth century, bringing a significant and welcome improvement to fishing communities and thus the whole Azmiri seaboard.

In 1191, the Azmiri volcano Kaië Ryio'qi experienced a dramatic eruption that is thought to have introduced tremendous quantities of minerals and nutrients into the coastal waters, including through undersea geothermal vents. Environmental historians attribute to this a substantial algal bloom that led to an explosion of plankton populations and knock-on multiplication up along the oceanic food chain. As west Azmir's rivers continued to carry ash and volcanic sediment to the sea in the aftermath of the eruption, this unusually rich environment was sustained for over a century. Tuna moved in-shore in large numbers, and coastal communities were able to catch them in large numbers in fish traps. This caused substantial growth in these economies, enriching their eastward trade in particular and evidently leading to a surge in patronage of Catholic churches, Thaerine temples and other institutions. It is thought that this bloom was, ultimately, a contributing factor behind the Azmiri Crusade. The tuna trade brought considerable wealth to the coastal regions not just of Azmir but also Kur'zhet and Cadenza.

Oceanic temperatures dropped marginally c. 1400 in the Sea of Jajich during the Little Ice Age, falling below the temperatures preferred by Jajexan tuna (20–24 °C (68–75 °F)). At the same time, the volume of nutrients entering the sea from riverine deposition appears to have tapered off. Contemporary commentators noted the decline in tuna catches that resulted from the collapse of this temporary explosion, and by c. 1450, where once large nets had been full of mature tuna, many coastal traps were abandoned and tuna were only found far out at sea. They were no longer a commercially viable catch in this region.

Rise of Crucian trade

Fish traps (left middle) seen in an illustration from c. 1551

The island of Valle Crucis is one of the most remote in Astyria, more than 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) south of its nearest neighbour on the mainland of Teudallum. It was a relatively prosperous statelet in the medieval period, owing nominal fealty to the Empire of Exponent, but until the Age of Sail its role in south Astyrian trade was minor, as few craft were able for regular long-distance voyages. Valle Crucis was at first, therefore, little more than a stopover between Kelonna and southeast Teudallum or points further east such as Scottopia or Hesperidesia. From the mid-1400s, however, as trade increased with Kelonna, Crucian residential permits became increasingly sought-after, and the island came to host merchant ventures from as far afield as Berique and Aquitayne. The island found itself visited more and more as maps improved, and from the 1530s the remote island of Torim Viqalka (known on Kur'zheti maps as Torme Dacang, "watered island") became a frequent stopping point especially for Cadenzan and Kur'zheti mariners as it was finally reliably situated on nautical charts, bringing Crucian trade within reach of western Teudallum.

Kur'zheti merchants began to become established in Valle Crucis in the following years and brought with them their bitter rivalry with their Cadenzan neighbours. The nationals of both countries refused to allow their competitors to conduct business without contest, leading to conflicts and the occasional involvement of the City Guard and the courts. Administrative records suggest that a Cadenzan merchant first entered the Crucian fish trade in October 1548, just ahead of the end of the tuna season. In June of the following year, a consignment of fish from Crucian waters was delivered to Medlar, the Kur'zheti capital, that included several Jajexan tuna, and several more such shipments followed in that year.

Onset of tuna mania

Prelude

Tuna was a rare dish in Kur'zhet at this point, and few commoners outside of fishing communities had ever encountered it. The introduction of Crucian tuna began to change this, and word spread across the island of a delicious, steak-like fish. It was not cheap, as it required a long journey from Valle Crucis to bring the fish to Kur'zheti markets, but prices remained reasonable for the first few years, and not every fish would be sold before they turned foul. It was only available for just under half the year before the schools of tuna moved away to cooler waters, returning to the seas around Valle Crucis in May for the southern hemisphere's winter. In November 1552, after a modest spring trade, a merchant in Ruh Barb announced the arrival of the last catch of the year, issuing several hundred pamphlets to stimulate demand for his stock. This innovative advertisement scheme introduced tuna to a much larger audience than it had previously enjoyed in the country and, as these new customers could only have it once before the season ended, the next tuna season became heavily anticipated in Kur'zhet.