Is this what you guys call a good catch? 3 large Moonfish at one time off the coast of southern California. I have not seen one that big, lucky guys.
Well...that's a new one on me...never seen a Moonfish before...and now for the stupid question...are they edible? If so, is the meat or at least the belly Sushi grade?
The first Moonfish is, like the above giants, a delicacy. Its red meat tastes like salmon. We see them in the Med but I have never seen one that big. Also they are not catched on purpose, they do appear on the menu in the restaurants. His namesake in the second picture is even bigger (can go up to 5500 lbs and more than 10 feet in diameter) but is not edible at all, he is suppost to be poisonous. Some countries in Asia eat them anyhow (No risk, no fun ).
The bottom picture is what's known as a Sun fish...at least from what I remember...I've seen those on the Atlantic coast...who knew?
The bottom right fish as stated is commonly called an Ocean Sun Fish also called a Mola Mola, can grow up to 2000 lbs. and is a slimy inedible mess, at least to westerners. You will see the Moonfish marketed with its' Hawaiian name "Opah" and is absolutely delicious, although filleting this flat fish is a bit tricky, as the bottom portion below the head is hard bone. It is a somewhat common incidental catch out west, but a prized catch nonetheless. The largest one in this picture is reported as 180lbs., and if caught in compliance with IGFA rules, may break the existing all-tackle record of 167 lbs.
