Tropical fish a rare catch off Ocean City

Austin Ensor began his day like any other on the morning of Nov. 12.

Casting out of Ocean City on the boat named Primary Search, the fisherman was headed out to sea, eager to reel in some swordfish and take part in the fishing season just a little longer.

Accompanied by his three-man crew of Tommy Clark, Ryan Stewart and James Dozerbach, Ensor and the Primary Search set course nearly 52 miles off the shore of Ocean City at 5:30 a.m.

Dropping their lines at about 9 a.m., the crew spent the morning waiting and watching, hoping to see a tug at their lines. As the day progressed, the group brought aboard two swordfish, but were determined to net as many as possible.

As the early afternoon approached, Ensor saw his line begin to move and immediately grabbed hold of his rod.

Ensor knew right away he had something big on the line, but when the fish finally became visible nearly 20 feet below the surface, the fisherman couldn’t believe his eyes.

"Oh my god, it's an opah," Ensor exclaimed. "Get the harpoon ready!"

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An opah, also known as a moonfish, had hooked Ensor’s line, fighting with all its strength.

After checking with fishing experts, Ensor said the fish is the first in Ocean City history to be caught with a rod and reel. The opah weighed in at just more than 105 pounds, 44 inches long and 29 inches high.

According to National Geographic, opahs are warm-blooded fish that typically live in tropical waters. They are active predators with a silver body and red fins, and have been described by those who have seen them as a ‘torpedo fish’ due to their fast speed.

Although opahs are uncommon in the region, once he saw the color, Ensor recognized what he had.

“I knew exactly what it was,” Ensor said. “I don’t know how, but it clicked in my head that it was an opah. Fishermen rarely catch it out there, but I had the picture in my memory, and I knew what it was.”

More common than expected

As his crew ran throughout the Primary Search, gathering the tools needed to bring the fish aboard, Ensor held strong, eventually hauling the fish over the side of the boat after a brief battle.

“First thing I did was get on my satellite phone and call some of my fishing buddies,” Ensor said. “Some were like, ‘You caught a what?’ I have no clue why it was up here — maybe because of the hurricanes we’ve had this year, but it’s still pretty cool.”

Ann Barse, a professor of biology at Salisbury University, said the opah has been around the East Coast for several years, including off the shore of Ocean City.

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Despite the opah’s common presence in tropical waters, including in the Gulf of Mexico, coast of Argentina and the shores of Hawaii, there have been several sightings of the fish in northern waters.

The fish is not state or federally regulated, but is not as rare as many may believe.

“I called another friend of mine, Jason Massey, and he informed me that a lot of the commercial swordfish boats have brought opah in from time to time,” Barse said. “They live down about 500 meters.”

But Barse believes the biggest reason for the opah catch is because of new fishing methods by swordfish fishermen.

In the past, those attempting to catch a swordfish have often fished throughout the evening in shallow waters, but now, many are going out during daytime hours, dropping their bait more than 1,000 feet to where the opah often swims.

“It has nothing to do with global warming,” Barse said. “If someone is fishing in the day, they’re fishing in the deep, and opahs can do very well in cold, deep water.”

'Truly a great trip'

Cheering and celebrating the catch, Ensor and the crew strapped the fish in and headed back to the shore.

As the Primary Search approached the dock, Ensor said more than 30 of his friends and family were awaiting the arrival, hoping to get a look at the rare catch.

With a fish of that size, Ensor knew he would be eating well for days.

“I’ve been eating it probably four nights in a row now,” Ensor said with a laugh. “We caught it on a Sunday night, so there wasn’t too much celebrating once we got in, but it was still really cool.”

Although Ensor didn’t know why he was the one to catch the opah, he wasn’t going to question the situation.

Ensor’s dream is to fish on the west coast and catch many of the tropical fish that inhabit the area, much like the opah. With his dream now half accomplished, the Maryland fisherman can’t wait to get back out to sea.

“It’s pretty surreal,” Ensor said. “Truly a great trip.”