World · Philippines Bureau
Rare warm-bodied opah fish caught off Antique coast
Fishermen off Caluya, Antique, have landed two unusually large opah fish, marking only the second recorded catch of the deep-water species in Philippine waters. The specimens, weighing approximately 80 and 60 kilograms respectively, were hauled in on Thursday.
LSN Philippines ·
Two specimen opahs were caught off the coast of Caluya in Antique province on September 17, according to local fishing reports. The larger fish weighed around 80 kilograms, while its companion measured approximately 60 kilograms.
Opahs are among the few fish species capable of maintaining body temperatures significantly higher than their surrounding seawater environment, a characteristic that sets them apart from most marine life. The deep-water fish are rarely encountered in Philippine coastal waters, making their capture a notable occurrence for local fisheries.
The catch represents only the second documented record of opahs being landed in the region, underscoring the rarity of encountering these unusual creatures. The species typically inhabit deeper ocean zones, which accounts for their infrequent interaction with commercial fishing operations in shallower Philippine waters.
The discovery has drawn attention from marine biologists and fishing communities interested in understanding the distribution and behavior of these temperature-regulating fish in Southeast Asian waters.