Ah, Jorge, Just the guy I was hoping would show up. I know I have heard mahi being called some kind of fin variant of tuna. Yea, mostly to assure tourists of it’s non-flipper origin. Any chance you could fish around your circle and see if anyone is still calling them that? For some reason blue fin keeps coming to mind.
MK I live in Ewa Beach. Once the sticks, but alas, no more.
Oh Yea, forgot to ask,
I was under ther impression that mahi was a pacific fish so I was a little surprised to hear of them being taken in the Gulf of Mexico. Any idea what their range is?
Ray,
Humuhumu is a type of trigger fish and is edible, in theory anyway. Not a real meaty bugger that humu.
The last time I was in Florida I saw dolphin on the menu in a few places. I consider it a good sign, it means the place is catering to the locals and not tourists. Dolphin are very pretty fish.
Actually, Evil Ghandi, I was surprised when I found out that dolphinfish were common around Hawaii!
Anyway, I dug out my fish book - ‘The Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Fishes, Whales, and Dolphins’. My edition was published in 1988, but I imagine the general info is still pretty accurate.
“DOLPHINS (Family Coryphaenidae): Dolphins are elongate and compressed, with a long dorsal fin that begins just behind the eyes. The dorsal fin and the anal fin, which begins in the middle of the body, continue almost to the caudal fin. Dolphins have a narrow caudal peduncle, a long, forked tail, and small cycloid scales. They exhibit beautiful iridescent colors which fade soon after they die. Adult males develop a heavy bony crest on the forehead, resulting in an almost vertical anterior profile. This family has 2 species in North America. . . . Habitat: Surface of open sea, usually over deep water, but sometimes near shore. Range: From Nova Scotia to Brazil, including Bermuda and Gulf of Mexico.”
It doesn’t mention any in the Pacific, but possibly they don’t occur of the West Coast of North America, and Hawaii isn’t included. Also, the Mahimahi may be a different species of the same family, with only minor differences.
And, just for the heck of it:
Tuna belongs to the Mackerel fish class (Family Scombridae)which includes the Wahoo, Bullet Mackerel, Little Tunny, Skipjack Tuna, Atlantic Bonito, Chub Mackerel, Atlantic Mackerel, King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Cero, Albacore, Yellowfin Tuna, Bigeye Tuna, Blackfin Tuna, and Bluefin Tuna. (At one time or another, I’ve caught Wahoo, Skipjack, Bonito, Kings, Spanish, Bigeye, and Bluefin. The tuna were small - 2 1/2 to 3 feet long. Even a small tuna can just about pull your arms out of their sockets.)
Anyway, Bigeye, Blackfin, and Bluefin Tuna are regularly seen in the Gulf of Mexico, but Yellowfin are pretty rare there. Yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) reach 6 feet in length and 450 lbs. Bigeye (Thunnus obesus) reach 7’9" and 435 lbs. Blackfin (Tunnus atlanticus) only reach 3 feet - they don’t list a weight. Bluefin reach 10’ and 1,496 lbs. Yellowfin are the ones primarily fished for with nets - Bigeye and Bluefin are more usually caught with longlines.
Dolphinfish and the tunas are all blue water fish - they’re rarely found in water less than 100 feet deep. I was always surprised that dolphin was not more readily available in restaurants and fish markets, but assumed it was because they are (unless you were in lucky circumstances, as I was) a lot of trouble to catch. I would think they would be much easier to locate and fish for in Hawaii, where blue water is very close to the beach, unlike the Gulf of Mexico or Florida coast where you usually have to travel several hours out just to find true blue water.
Some days you’re the dog, some days you’re the hydrant.
EG, they’re found in all tropical waters. Never heard anyone refer to 'em as any particular type of tuna, nor had anyone else I asked today; just “tuna” generically, and only to avoid scaring the tourists, or as a result of the “easy way out” when translating amongst multicultural restaurant help (“Eh ? tuna, whatevahs…”).
Jorge,
Thanks for asking around, your word’s good as gospel to me on this one. Most likely I got it confused with something else. Not much of a fisherman myself, most of my contact with the trade tends to be by the coast, beer in hand.
Coosa,
Excellent post. Your research answers any questions I had (or ever will, for that matter) about our friend, the mahimahi.