Giant moonfish weighing up to 80 kilos caught in Antique

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A group of fishermen in Caluya, Antique, made a big catch after reeling in two giant opah, or moonfish, weighing nearly 60 and 80 kilograms.

According to Kuya Kim’s report on 24 Oras” on Tuesday, residents were left amazed by the size of the fish, which have bodies measuring about a meter across and featuring a combination of red, orange, and white colors with white spots.

The group made the catch while conducting a warm-up fishing session ahead of an upcoming fishing competition and carrying out a seaborne patrol.

“On Thursday, we said, ‘Let’s warm up.’ We went to a spot that was quite deep. We all dropped our lines. Suddenly, SB William Pultino got a strike,” Caluya Vice Mayor Belfe Duran said in a mix of Filipino and English.

“We had never experienced something that heavy before. It felt like a heavy rock. I said, ‘This is big,’” he recalled.

Per Duran, they initially thought they had hooked a shark because of the weight of the catch. After nearly an hour of battling the fish, they finally managed to bring it to the boat.

“We finally landed it. We caught two fish,” Duran said.

The group said it was also their first time seeing an opah of such size.

“It was exciting because we did not expect to catch that kind of fish. It just shows that the waters of Caluya are still healthy,” he added.

The opah, which belongs to the genus Lampris, is considered the first known fully warm-blooded fish.

“It is the first recorded warm-blooded fish. Like mammals, it can maintain its body temperature. So even when they are in deep waters, they can sustain activities like hunting and their metabolism because they can generate heat,” said Louie Bersano, a registered fisheries professional of Davao Del Norte State College, in Filipino.

This allows the opah to swim and survive in deeper parts of the ocean.

“They are rarely caught by fisherfolk. Sometimes they are caught along with tuna. They swim individually, so they are not often caught,” he said.

Opah can also grow to an impressive size. According to the Bersano, mature opah can weigh up to around 200 pounds, or approximately 90 kilograms.

“So, the ones caught in Antique weighed 60 to 80 kilograms, it is within their normal weight range,” he said.