The fishermen were shocked to catch a huge fish 80 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. However, it wasn’t just the size of the animal that surprised them.
Michael McTaggart, John Weatherington and Nick Kemp fished in Virginia last week in hopes of catching swordfish. They were about to leave when suddenly something pulled the line.
When they pulled out the fish, they didn’t expect to see the giant opah fish. McTaggart described the moment as “surreal.”
The fish reportedly weighs around 143 pounds, which is more than the average 100-pound opah fish. Besides the size, there is another reason why the fishermen liked the catch so much.
Opah is reported to be the only known fully warm-blooded fish species. They usually live in tropical or temperate waters near Hawaii and other Pacific islands. This time of year, the Virginia coastline is much colder than Hawaii.
According to the fishermen, when they reported their catch by radio, the other fishermen did not believe them.
While this Opah will not break the world record (the largest ever caught opah reportedly weighed 180 pounds), anglers are hoping they will set the record in the Virginia area. There is even a chance that it may be the first opah caught in the area.
