The Fish

Sailfish

Resident sailfish frequent the waters around Magnetic Island, Bowling Green Bay and the local reef network. These fish besides their spectacular fighting ability with great visual aerobatic displays make a memorable photo to take home when pulled on board, prior to release.

Sailfish (genus Istiophorus) are fish living in all the oceans of the world. They are blue to gray in color and have a characteristic sail (dorsal fin) on top of them, often stretching the entire length of their back. The sailfish is a rapidly growing species, reaching 1.2 to 1.5 m in a single year. They can swim at speeds of up to 68 m/h (when leaping in and out of the water), making them the fastest fish in the ocean. They feed on the surface or at mid-depths on smaller pelagic fish and squid.

The Indo-Pacific sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus, is a sailfish native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is dark blue on top, brown-blue laterally, silvery white underbelly; upper jaw elongated in form of spear; first dorsal fin greatly enlarged in the form of a sail, with many black spots, its front squared off, highest at its midpoint; pelvic fins very narrow, reaching almost to the anus; body covered with embedded scales, blunt at end; lateral line curved above pectoral fin, then straight to base of tail.