The three opah-teers and their unique catch. Credit: Excel Sportfishing.
Three tuna fishermen got the surprise of a lifetime last Friday when they reeled in an unexpected catch – three rare opah fishes, or moonsfishes, weighing in at 151, 180 and 124 pounds. While it’s rare to catch opah on any sportfishing boat, it is extremely rare to do what these guys did – land three in one day. The opah can grow to over five feet in length and can weigh over 200 pounds.
These large, colorful fish were caught the same day off the San Diego-based Excel sportfishing boat by Armando Castillo, Joe Ludlow and Travis Savala. The anglers reportedly spent several days on the trip fishing for yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna and yellowtail, with the help of warmer water brought on by the warm-water event, El Niño. The warm water is inviting to the brightly-colored opah, which are commonly found in tropical and sub-tropical areas.
Because opah has a bright color, they typically do not swim in large schools. Because of that, a commercial market does not exist. Opah can sometimes be found in restaurants, caught incidentally by commercial and recreational fisherman.
They are prized trophies for deep-water anglers as their large size and attractive form lend themselves well to taxidermy. Opahs are frequently caught as bycatch in many longline tuna fisheries, and can sometimes be found in restaurants, caught incidentally by these fishermen.
Almost nothing is known of opah biology and ecology. They are presumed to live out their entire lives in the open ocean, at depths of 50 – 500 meters. They are apparently solitary, but are known to school with tuna. The fish propel themselves by flapping their pectoral fins. This, together with their forked caudal fins and depressible median fins, they swim at constantly high speeds like tuna.
Divers are of course unlikely to encounter the opah while diving, but what will the warmer waters of El Niño bring closer to shore for us to see?