“One-in-a-million” Golden Bigeye Tuna Caught, Made into Sushi
OutdoorHub Reporters 07.12.13
Earlier this week seafood distributor Samuels and Son Seafood received a rare shipment in their Philadelphia processing facility. On a mound of ice sat a much coveted golden bigeye tuna, freshly caught off the coast of the Philippines. Bigeye tuna are normally blue and silver in color, but occasionally the fish can appear to be golden.
Sought after by both recreational anglers and commercial fishermen, golden bigeye tuna are thought by some Asian cultures to bring good fortune. Because these oddities are often mistaken for yellowfin tuna, they may not be as a rare as many think. Samuels and Son Seafood Vice President Joseph Lasprogata, however, is still very much impressed with the catch.
“The last time a fish like this was caught was about five years ago,” he said in a press release on Facebook. “Normally creatures which stand out in the ocean are eaten by predators early on. So to see a mature individual with such primitive color variation is highly unusual.”
Weighing in at 138 pounds, the fish is not among the biggest of its species, which can near 400 pounds. It was caught early in July by long line commercial fishermen, and after being processed in the Samuels and Son Seafood facility, was sold to high-end sushi bar Sushi Taro in Washington D.C. It was subsequently displayed and promptly eaten by customers.
Golden bigeye tuna should taste no different than regular bigeye, and reportedly the sushi made from the fish will be priced just as same as the golden fish’s more mundane counterparts. Unlike regular bigeye tuna however, the golden specimen has white eyes. Sushi Taro offered plates of the fish starting from $6.95.
