Mahi-mahi: The impressive feats of the other ‘flying fish’
Have you ever seen a flying fish?
Flying is a bit of a misnomer. They are really gliding, but when a fish over a foot long shoots out of the water at over 30 miles per hour and glides through the air for up to 600 yards, what’s the difference?
But there is another fish frequenting the warm waters off our coast that is, to me, equally impressive in the air, far more striking and colorful, and a lot more exciting on a dinner plate. Its savage attacks on baits, feisty strength, and frequent jumps are legendary. Meet the other flying fish: Coryphaena hippurus, more commonly known as the dolphinfish, dorado, or mahi-mahi.
This piece isn’t about fishing but about a species that this author has pursued, savored, and marveled at since elementary school. Marlin, sailfish, tuna, and wahoo are all exciting to catch and are major targets for Charleston’s deep-sea fleet. But if many of us fishermen could only catch one species for the rest of our lives, the mahi-mahi would be the first choice.
The life of a dolphinfish is comprised of four major activities: eating, growing, migrating, and reproducing.
An article in Sport Fishing magazine states that a six-monthold mahi-mahi will be between 19 and 28 inches long, increasing to 23 to 55 inches at one year, and to 31 to 55 inches at two years. The weight at two years can exceed 50 pounds. That’s a good thing for dorado fans, because 98% of these fish live less than two years, and their maximum life span is only about four years.
Mahi-mahi eat nearly nonstop and will eat almost anything that swims. Unfortunately for them, they are not only delicious to humans but are pursued relentlessly as food themselves. Many other species rely heavily on them, especially when they are small. I watched helplessly just a couple of years ago as a hungry blue marlin devoured the dolphinfish I had gotten almost to the boat.
Mahi-mahi are found in most warm-water areas and travel many miles in their very short lives, typically using warm currents like the Gulf Stream.
According to the Dolphin Research Program, a dolphinfish tagged off of Charleston in 2005 was recovered near the Azores, 2,500 miles away, only eight months later. Another DRP-tagged dorado traveled from the Florida Keys to Oregon Inlet, North Carolina, in nine days.
That’s a staggering 93 miles per day!
Whether marveling at their airborne acrobatics, being wowed by their vibrant colors, or savoring that delectable meat, there is much to appreciate about the mahi-mahi.
Like professional athletes and rock stars, dorados live life at full throttle, eating voraciously and growing at incredible rates. They generally reach four feet in length in their first year of life and may ultimately reach up to 80 pounds in weight. These prolific travelers can cover nearly one hundred miles in a day.
They take great exception to being pulled in by fishermen and express much of their displeasure in the air.
Finally, their qualities as table fare ensure them a permanent welcome to any menu, whether in some angler’s home or in the finest restaurants in Charleston.