SAN DIEGO – San Diego seafood processing company Catalina Offshore Products received a six-figure grant Wednesday to grow the demand for underutilized species of fish such as opah.
Catalina Offshore’s opah project is one of 38 projects to receive a grant under the National Marine Fisheries Service’s 2018 Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program. Catalina Offshore received $139,700 to broaden the appeal of opah — a group of six related fish found in mild and tropical waters — so that all edible parts of the fish are used and develop more demand for species that U.S. Pacific Highly Migratory Species fisheries routinely cast aside.
Smalleye Pacific opah and bigeye Pacific opah are often found off the coasts of California and Mexico and can weigh up to 200 pounds, but a majority of the fish is usually thrown away. Catalina Offshore has identified seven types of meat on the opah with unique flavor and texture profiles that offer the possibility for more diverse culinary application.
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