Fish facts #18 - @edekadam feat. Mahi mahi (Dolphin Fish) [Photos, Video]

Mahi mahi is one of the most popular oceanic game fishes with simple reasons like world wide distribution, quite easy catch for beginners, amateurs and it's beautiful fish with quality tasty meat. Mahi mahi can be easily found because groups of Mahis loves to hide under the shadow of drift lines in the ocean.

I caught my first Dolphin fish close to drift line near to Pedasí in Panamá. Trolling is easiest way to catch one of them. Sometimes while you hook one of those colorful Dorados there is 3-5 others following it until the boat so you can catch one after another with popper lures which gives a lot of fun and adrenaline.

I would recommend that kind of activities for everyone who wants to try Ocean fishing for the first time because of it's availability and facility.

Before you are going to watch the video I want you to read short information about this fish.

Mahi mahi, Dolphin Fish or Spanish Dorado (Latin: Coryphaena hippur, Linnaeus 1758)

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Perciformes

Family: Coryphaenidae

Genus: Coryphena

Species: Coryphena hippurus

Distribution

Atlantic, Indian and Pacific: in tropical and subtropical waters. Highly migratory species, Annex I of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Size / Weigh

Max length: 210 cm;

common length: 100.0 cm;

max. published weight: 40.0 kg;

max. reported age: 4 years;

Environment

Marine; brackish; pelagic-neritic; oceanodromous;

depth range 0 - 85 m, usually 5 - 10 m;

Tropical, subtropical; 21°C - 30°C;

47°N - 38°S, 180°W - 180°E

Short description

Greatest body depth in adults less than 25% of standard length; tooth patch on tongue small and oval; single dorsal fin extending from above eye almost to caudal fin with 58-66 rays; a concave anal fin extending from anus almost to caudal fin; pectoral fin more than half of head length. Caudal vertebrae usually 18. Mature males posses a prominent bony crest in front of the head. The color is striking with golden hues on the sides, metallic blues and greens on the back and sides, with white and yellow on the underparts. Small specimens have pronounced vertical bars on the sides of the body.

Biology

Adults are found in open waters but also near the coast. Form schools. Feed on almost all forms of fish and zooplankton; also takes crustaceans and squid. Sexual maturity is reached in 4-5 months (3 for captive fish). Spawn in the open sea and probably approximate to the coast when water temperature rises. Eggs and larvae are pelagic. Attracting devices such as floating bundles of bamboo reeds or cork planks are used to concentrate dolphin fish before the nets are set. Marketed frozen and fresh and is of high value.

Supporting source: http://www.fishbase.org

Video