| Family: | Istiophoridae (Billfishes) |
AquaMaps | | ||
| Order: | Perciformes (perch-likes) | |||
| Class: | Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) | |||
| In this site name: | Atlantic sailfish | |||
| Max. size: | 315 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 43); max. published weight: 58.1 kg (Ref. 43) | |||
| Environment: | pelagic; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); marine; depth range 0 – 200 m | |||
| Climate: | subtropical; 21 – 28°C; 49°N - 43°S, 99°w - 30°e | |||
| Importance: | fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes | |||
| Resilience: | Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.29-1.2 (?); tm=3.5) | |||
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Distribution:
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Atlantic Ocean: in tropical and temperate waters approximately 40°N in the northwest Atlantic, 50°N in the northeast Atlantic, 40°S in the southwest Atlantic, and 32°S in the southeast Atlantic. Migrating to Mediterranean Sea, mostly based on juvenile specimens. Highly migratory species, Annex I of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea (Ref. 26139). Some authors recognize a single worldwide species, Istiophorus platypterus (Shaw 1792) but we follow Nakamura 1990 (Ref. 10820) retaining the usage of Istiophorus platypterus for the Indo-Pacific sailfish and Istiophorus albicans for the Atlantic sailfish in recognition of differences between them. | |||
| Morphology: | Dorsal spines (total): 0 - 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 48 - 53; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 9 – 12; Vertebrae: 24 | |||
| Biology: | Usually found in the upper layers of warm water above the thermocline, but also capable of descending to rather deep water. Often migrates into near-shore waters. Occasionally forms schools or smaller groups of 3 to 30 individuals, but often occurs in loose aggregations over a wide area. Feeds mainly on small pelagic fishes but also takes bottom-dwelling organisms. Utilized fresh, canned and frozen; eaten steamed (Ref. 9987). | |||
Red List Status:
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