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What Type of Fish Is Mahimahi?

The mahimahi (also commonly spelled "mahi mahi") is also known as the dolphin fish or the dorado. It belongs to the family Coryphaenidae and has no relation to the dolphin, which is a mammal. Mahimahi is found in the Atlantic Ocean around Nova Scotia down to the Caribbean and Brazil. It's also found in the tropical and subtropical areas of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It's sold as steaks or fillets in most fish stores or quality grocery stores.

Physical Characteristics
- The mahimahi is an oddly beautiful fish with an iridescent body and can grow up to 6 1/2 feet long. They weigh about 31 lbs., though they can weigh more than 66 lbs. The iridescence fades soon after the animal dies. The dorsal fin extends to just behind the eyes and extends almost to the tail, which is long and forked. The male has a blunt, high forehead and is also bigger and heavier than the female. Mahimahi are very fast swimmers and feed on flying fish, mackerels, jacks, crabs, cephalopods and fish smaller than they are. They've also been known to indulge in cannibalism.
Geographic Distribution
- Mahimahi are found on the surface of the open sea, often over deep water, and even young fish can be found at a depth of 590 feet or more. They're found year-round where the temperature is above 93 degrees Fahrenheit. The mahimahi can be found as part of the fauna of the Sargasso Sea (a region of the Atlantic Ocean just north of the Tropic of Cancer), where it's an apex predator. Because it needs a lot of oxygen, it must keep swimming to make sure oxygenated water is always flushed through its gills.
Reproduction
- The fish is very fertile and breeds year-round, with the female laying as many as 80,000 to 1,000,000 eggs per spawning. Breeding takes place more often if food is abundant. About 60 to 80 percent of larvae survive to adulthood. The mahimahi is also fast growing; it achieves sexual maturity in its first year or when it reaches about 8 inches long. Its fertility allows it to escape overfishing, though not much study has been done on this. The mahimahi can live about 18 months in captivity and about two years in the wild. The upper limit of the life span is about five years in the wild.
Harvesting
- Recreational anglers are allowed to keep 10 mahimahi each day. There are no closed seasons or size restrictions to fishing mahimahi. Since 1986 Florida's commercial and recreational fisherman have landed between 5.56 and 17 million lbs.of mahimahi every year. It's considered a fierce fighting fish and is sought after for this and the quality of its meat.
  
  The fish is featured on the stamps of several countries, including Cuba, Belize and the British Virgin Islands.

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