Opah

U.S. wild-caught opah is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.

• Opah are an unusual looking fish—they have a round, flat body that’s silvery gray in color.
• Toward the belly, the silver shades to a rose red, dotted with white spots.
• Their fins and mouth are red, and their large eyes are encircled with gold.

• Because opah are not a major commercial seafood species and they live in the deep ocean, scientists know very little about their biology and ecology.
• Scientists assume opah share general characteristics with other Pacific Ocean pelagic fish.
• Scientists estimate that opah grow quickly.
• Although they’re not sure of opah’s exact life span, scientists age opah by their fin rays, assuming fin ray marks are formed annually.
• Most opah caught in longline fisheries are estimated to be between 1 and 6 years old.
• They average about 100 pounds with a diameter of 3 feet.
• Opah spawn in warm surface waters throughout the year in the tropics and more seasonally in cooler waters.
• Opah seem to be very productive, potentially spawning many times throughout the spawning season.
• Opah are capable of traveling long distances, often in response to changing oceanic conditions such as temperature.

• Opah are found in tropical and temperate waters around the world.

• NOAA Fisheries and the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council manage this fishery in the Pacific Islands.
• Managed under the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for the Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific:
  • No management measures specifically apply to opah. However, general management measures apply to the fisheries that harvest opah.
  • Fishermen are required to have permits and record their catch.
  • Gear restrictions and operational requirements to minimize bycatch and potential gear conflicts among different fisheries.
  • A limit on the number of permits for Hawaii and American Samoa longline fisheries controls participation in the fishery.
  • Longline fishing is prohibited in some areas to protect endangered Hawaiian monk seals, reduce conflicts between fishermen, and prevent localized stock depletion (when a large quantity of fish are removed from an area).
  • These zones are enforced through the NOAA Fisheries vessel monitoring system program (longline boats must be equipped with a satellite transponder that provides real-time position updates and tracks vessel movements).
  • Hawaii- and American Samoa–based longline vessels must carry onboard observers when requested by NOAA Fisheries, in part to record interactions with sea turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals.
  • Annual training in safe handling and release techniques for protected species is required, and all vessels must carry and use specific equipment for handling and releasing these animals.