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Saturday, May 16, 2015

Opah - warm-blooded fish


That fish on your plate may be a celebrity. 

Only recently, scientists discovered, for the first time, a kind of fish that is warm-blooded and not cold-blooded as most fish are. The scientific name of the fish is Lampris Regius.

Commonly called  Opah, Moonfish, Sunfish, etc the fish is popular in seafood markets. The Opah is prized  for its mild taste and non-stringy texture. 

It is not a rare fish and is found in oceans world-wide except in the Polar areas. But unlike other fish which travel in schools, Opahs like to be solitary. Fishermen find Opah by accident as they fish for tuna or marlin and others that come in groups.

In Hawaii which supplies most Opah sold in the US mainland, the Opah is regarded as a fish that brings luck. Traditionally, instead of selling Opah they've caught, fishermen in  Hawaii gift it as an expression of Aloha.

If anybody "opahs" me an Opah, I'll be happy to accept it anytime! :)

More info about the Opah are provided in the links below this blog.


Armando Castillo, Joe Ludlow and Travis Savala (left to right) pose with opah aboard the San Diego, California-based fishing vessel "Excel." Source: pethethomasoutdoor.com

LINKS

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/15/opinions/warm-blooded-fish/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opah

http://www.hawaii-seafood.org/wild-hawaii-fish/other-ocean-species/moonfish-opah/

http://www.petethomasoutdoors.com/2014/08/san-diego-anglers-hit-opah-jackpot-three-moonfish-landed.html
Posted with Aloha
- By ARIEL MURPHY

3 comments:

  1. Amazing, a warm blooded fish. I've eaten it, quite tasty.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting. They are a colorful fish!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful and delicious. We are so lucky when we find fresh, wild caught Opah.

    ReplyDelete