When you fish with us at Kona Fishing Charters, you will see and experience many kinds of amazing and wonderful fish from the Pacific Sailfish to the Mahimahi fish. We knew our readers might enjoy 10 cool facts about each of these spectacular Kona fish that you’ll see with us at Kona Fishing Charters. Today’s blog article is dedicated to the beautiful Mahimahi fish, which you will hopefully see (and possibly even catch) when you fish with us at Kona Fishing Charters!
Ten Fun Facts about Mahimahi:
- The Mahimahi’s appearance is notable due to their brightly colored exterior which typically dazzles. The Mahimahi’s back is an electric greenish blue while its lower body is either gold or silver. Their sides have a mixture of dark and light spots. Mahimahi are often mistaken, at first glance, to be a relative of the pompano dolphin but they are not. Their dorsal fins extend nearly the entire length of their body. That is not the only thing that differentiates the Mahimahi fish’s appearance from the pompano dolphin – there is also a very wide square tooth patch on the tongue of the Mahimahi fish that is not present on the pompano dolphin. Male and females look different due to their different head shapes. Adult males have a square head shape that is high and sloping but females have a more rounded head that’s much less steep.
- Once out of the water, the Mahimahi will change color, going through several hues before finally fading to a muted yellow-grey upon death. However, since we practice catch and release at Kona Fishing Charters, we will hopefully not see that color when fishing the Mahimahi.
- Mahimahi can live up to 7 years of age when they are not killed by a predator, however most only live up to 4 or 5 years making Mahimahi a very short lived fish species.
- Mahimahi are rapidly growing fish. There have been cases of Mahimahi’s growing over four feet long in its first year of growth, and can grow up to 6.5 feet in four years.
- Mahimahi’s name is derived from the Hawaiian term of “very strong”. Mahimahi’s other name, which is the common dolphinfish, is possibly related to the Mahi Mahi’s large size (they range in size 12 – 70 lbs and average at about 4.5 feet) causing some to mistake it as a pompano dolphin at first glance. Although, as mentioned above, the dorsal fins of the Mahimahi’s are quite different than the pompano dolphins.
- The location of Mahimahi is spread out across the world as illustrated in the image below. The Mahimahi prefer water temperatures that vary between 74 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mahimahi is a top predator of many species of fish. The Mahimahi feeds in surface water during the day and will eat many different types of species present in the sea including pompano dolphins, young tuna, octopus, squid, and jellyfish. Typically, the fish they eat are smaller than themselves.
- Despite Mahimahi’s reputation as a top predator, the Mahimahi is still preyed upon by other fish and even seabirds. Their common predators tend to be large tuna, marlin, sailfish, and swordfish.
- Mahimahi have a social structure that is especially prominent when they are young. However, they do not have support or nurture from their mother or father, unlike the marine mammals they resemble. Since they have no natural familial support the Mahimahi often travel in schools of 50 (or more) at this point in order to prevent being attacked by predators. However, as they get older, the Mahimahi is less likely to travel in such a large group, sometimes only traveling in pairs.
- Mahimahi (as well as many other fish) often swim near debris that often hold a complete ecosystem from microscopic creatures to seahorses and baitfish. With the help of an experienced fishing guide, like you’ll find here at Kona Fishing Charters, you will be able to tell what kinds of fish are underneath the debris based off the seabirds that are present, although we’ll typically be in the open sea.
There are even cooler facts about the Mahimahi fish that you can read about on the other websites that we have linked to in the above article which include NOAA. Or, when you come mahi mahi fishing in Kona with us out on the beautiful Pacific at Kona Fishing Charters, we’ll answer your questions about the Mahimahi fish (or any other Kona fish) as best we can. But there’s nothing like seeing the Mahimahi fish for yourself, especially once you hook it and bring it aboard the boat!
Next time in our series of Kona fish facts, we’ll give you some interesting facts about Tuna, another Kona fish you will probably see when you come out to fish with us at Kona Fishing Charters! Call us at (808) 960-1424 to book your fishing trip!