View source for Mahi-mahi

{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2025}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Mahi-mahi
| image = Coryphaenahippurus.JPG
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Collette, B. |author2=Acero, A. |author3=Amorim, A.F. |author4=Boustany, A. |author5=Canales Ramirez, C. |author6=Cardenas, G. |author7=Carpenter, K.E. |author8=de Oliveira Leite Jr. |author9=N. |author10=Di Natale, A. |author11=Fox, W. |author12=Fredou, F.L. |author13=Graves, J. |author14=Viera Hazin, F.H. |author15=Juan Jorda, M. |author16=Minte Vera, C. |author17=Miyabe, N. |author18=Montano Cruz, R. |author19=Nelson, R. |author20=Oxenford, H. |author21=Schaefer, K. |author22=Serra, R. |author23=Sun, C. |author24=Teixeira Lessa, R.P. |author25=Pires Ferreira Travassos, P.E. |author26=Uozumi, Y. |author27=Yanez, E. |date=2011 |title=''Coryphaena hippurus'' |volume=2011 |article-number=e.T154712A4614989 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T154712A4614989.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| taxon = Coryphaena hippurus
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])
| synonyms = {{hidden begin|title = List}} 
* ''Scomber pelagicus'' <small>([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])</small>
* ''Coryphaena fasciolata'' <small>([[Peter Simon Pallas|Pallas]], 1770)</small>
* ''Coryphaena chrysurus'' <small>([[Bernard Germain de Lacépède|Lacépède]], 1801)</small>
* ''Coryphaena imperialis'' <small>([[Constantine Samuel Rafinesque|Rafinesque]], 1810)</small>
* ''Lepimphis hippuroides'' <small>(Rafinesque, 1810)</small>
* ''Coryphaena immaculata'' <small>[[Louis Agassiz|Agassiz]], 1831</small>
* ''Lampugus siculus'' <small>[[Achille Valenciennes|Valenciennes]], 1833</small>
* ''Coryphaena scomberoides'' <small>Valenciennes, 1833</small>
* ''Coryphaena margravii'' <small>Valenciennes, 1833</small>
* ''Coryphaena suerii'' <small>Valenciennes, 1833</small>
* ''Coryphaena dorado'' <small>Valenciennes, 1833</small>
* ''Coryphaena dolfyn'' <small>Valenciennes, 1833</small>
* ''Coryphaena virgata'' <small>Valenciennes, 1833</small>
* ''Coryphaena argyrurus'' <small>Valenciennes, 1833</small>
* ''Coryphaena vlamingii'' <small>Valenciennes, 1833</small>
* ''Coryphaena nortoniana'' <small>[[Richard Thomas Lowe|R. T. Lowe]], 1839</small>
* ''Coryphaena japonica'' <small>[[Coenraad Jacob Temminck|Temminck]] & [[Hermann Schlegel|Schlegel]], 1845</small>
{{hidden end}}
| synonyms_ref = <ref name = Fishbase>{{FishBase|Coryphaena|hippurus|month=August|year=2019}}</ref>
}}
The '''mahi-mahi''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|m|ɑː|h|i|ˈ|m|ɑː|h|i}} {{respell|MAH|hee|MAH|hee}}),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mahi+mahi|title=the definition of mahi mahi|website=Dictionary.com}}</ref> '''common dolphinfish''', '''dolphin''' or ''' dorado''' <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/atlantic-mahi-mahi|title=Atlantic Mahi Mahi|website=NOAA Fisheries}}</ref><ref name=Fishbase/> ('''''Coryphaena hippurus''''') is a surface-dwelling [[ray-finned fish]] found in off-shore [[temperate]], [[tropical]], and [[subtropical]] waters worldwide. It is also widely called '''dorado''' (not to be confused with ''[[Salminus brasiliensis]]'', a freshwater fish) and '''dolphin''' (not to be confused with the aquatic mammal [[dolphin]]). It is one of two members of the family [[Coryphaenidae]], the other being the [[pompano dolphinfish]]. These fish are most commonly found in the waters around the [[Gulf of Mexico]], [[Costa Rica]],  [[Hawaii]], and the [[Indian Ocean]]. In Italy it is called corifena, lampuga or pesce capone, and has even given its name to the [[caponata]] though eggplant has now taken the place of the fish.

== Nomenclature ==

The name ''mahi-mahi'' comes from the [[Hawaiian language]]<ref>{{Hawaiian Dictionaries|dolphin|q=dolphin}}</ref> and means 'very strong', through the process of [[reduplication]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=mahimahi |url=https://maoridictionary.co.nz/word/3352 |access-date=2 September 2022 |publisher=Te Aka Māori Dictionary |language=en}}</ref> Though the species is also referred to as the common dolphinfish, they are not related to [[dolphin]]s; The origin of the name "dolphinfish" is recent and was given to avoid confusion with dolphins, as the traditional name of the fish was also "dolphin". See ''[[Coryphaena]]'' for the possible [[Etymology|etymologies]] of ''dolphinfish''. In parts of the Pacific and along the English-speaking coast of [[South Africa]], the mahi-mahi is commonly referred to by its name in [[Spanish language|Spanish]], {{Lang|es|dorado}}.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://wwfsassi.co.za/fish-detail/38/|title=Fish detail|work=WWF SASSI|access-date=31 May 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=10 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180610154939/http://wwfsassi.co.za/fish-detail/38/}}</ref> On the [[Mediterranean Basin|Mediterranean]] island of [[Malta]], the mahi-mahi is [[Maltese language|referred to]] as the {{Lang|mt|lampuki}}. In [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]], they are called {{Lang|id|ikan lemadang}}. In [[Samoan language|Samoan]] this fish is called Masi-masi, which has the same meaning in the Hawaiian language.

[[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]] named the genus, derived from the Greek word, {{Lang|grc|{{Script|Greek|κορυφή}}}}, {{Lang|grc-latn|koryphe}}, meaning 'top' or 'apex', in 1758. Synonyms for the species include ''Coryphaena argyrurus'', ''Coryphaena chrysurus'', and ''Coryphaena dolfyn''.<ref name=Fishbase/>

== Description ==
{{Multiple image
| image1            = Common Dolphinfish, Shinnecock Bay, Hampton Bays, NY, US imported from iNaturalist photo 159675415 (cropped).jpg
| image2            = Common Dolphinfish, United States imported from iNaturalist photo 483351857 (cropped).jpg
| footer            = Small juvenile mahi-mahi
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       = 250
}}
[[File:Common Dolphinfish, 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940, USA imported from iNaturalist photo 254881579.jpg|thumb|Young mahi-mahi reared by the [[Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute]]]]Mahi-mahi have [[Fish anatomy#Body|compressed bodies]] and one very long [[dorsal fin]] extending from the head almost to the tail fin. [[Adult|Mature]] males have distinctive "[[forehead]]s"; it grows as the fish matures and often protrudes well above the body proper, which is [[Wiktionary:streamlined#Adjective|streamlined]] by the musculature of the back. This "[[List of animals with humps|hump]]" is a [[sexually dimorphic]] feature; females have a rounded head. Their caudal fins and [[anal fins]] are sharply [[Wiktionary:concave#Adjective|concave]]. They are distinguished by dazzling colors – [[Gold (color)|golden]] on the sides, and bright blues and greens on the [[Flank (anatomy)|sides]] and back. The pectoral fins of the mahi-mahi are [[Iridescence|iridescent]] blue. The flank is broad and golden.<ref>{{cite web|author=Dianne J. Bray|year= 2011|title= Mahi Mahi, ''Coryphaena hippurus''|website=Fishes of Australia|access-date=7 October 2014|url=https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/1730}}</ref> 
Out of the water, the fish often change color (giving rise to their [[Spanish language|Spanish]] name, ''{{Lang|es|dorado}}'', 'golden'), going through several hues before finally fading to a muted yellow-grey upon [[death]].

== Biology ==
Mahi-mahi can [[Maximum life span|live for up to]] five years, although they seldom exceed four. Females are usually smaller than males. Catches typically are {{cvt|7|to|13|kg|lb}} and a meter (3&nbsp;ft) in length. They rarely exceed {{cvt|15|kg|lb}}, and mahi-mahi over {{cvt|18|kg|lb}} are exceptional. Mahi-mahi are among the [[ontogeny|fastest-growing]] of fish. They spawn in warm ocean currents throughout much of the year, and their young are commonly found in rafts of ''[[Sargassum]]'' weeds. Young mahi-mahi [[Fish migration|migrate]] past [[Malta]] where they are called {{Lang|mt|lampuki}} and [[Sicily]] where they are known as {{Lang|scn|lampuga}} or {{Lang|scn|capone}}; there they are fished using nets and [[Fish aggregating device|floating mats of palm leaves]] under which they collect.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}

== Reproduction ==
Males and females are [[sexually mature]] in their first year, usually by the age of 4–5 months. [[Spawn (biology)|Spawning]] can occur at body lengths of {{cvt|20|cm|in}}. Females may spawn two to three times per year, and produce between 80,000 and 1,000,000 eggs per event. In waters at {{cvt|28|°C|°F}}, mahi-mahi larvae are found year-round, with greater numbers detected in spring and fall.<ref name="ADW">{{cite web |url= http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Coryphaena_hippurus.html |title=''Coryphaena hippurus'' |first=Joshua |last=Bostwick |year=2000 |work=Animal Diversity Web |access-date=17 August 2011}}</ref>
Mahi-mahi fish are mostly found in the [[Photic zone|surface water]]. Their [[Fish as food|flesh]] is grey-white when raw, cooking to an attractive white with a clean, [[wiktionary:fishy#Adjective|non-fishy]] flavour.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}

== Diet ==
Mahi-mahi are [[Predatory fish|carnivorous]], feeding on [[flying fish]], [[crab]]s, [[squid]], [[mackerel]], and other [[forage fish]]. They have also been known to eat [[zooplankton]]. To [[Pursuit predation|pursue]] such varied [[Pelagic fish|pelagic prey]], mahi-mahi are fast swimmers, swimming as fast as {{convert|50|kn|km/h mph|1}}.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

{{Clear}}<gallery heights="140" mode="packed">
File:IMAG0302.jpg|Mahi-mahi in a [[fish market]]
File:IMAG0303.jpg|Closeup
File:Common Dolphinfish, Bali Sea, Bali, ID imported from iNaturalist photo 540579538 (cropped).jpg|Young mahi-mahi, in [[Indonesia]]
</gallery>

== Relation to humans ==
[[File:Fresco of a fisherman, Akrotiri, Greece.jpg|thumb|upright|Young fisherman with dolphinfish from [[Akrotiri (prehistoric city)|Santorini]], Greece, c. 1600 BCE ([[Minoan civilization]])]]
=== Fishing ===
{{Main|Mahi-mahi fishing}}

==== Recreational fishing ====
Mahi-mahi are highly sought for sport fishing and commercial purposes. Sport fishermen seek them due to their beauty, size, food quality, and healthy population. Mahi-mahi can be found in the [[Caribbean Sea]], on the west coast of [[North America|North]] and [[South America]], the Pacific coast of [[Costa Rica]], the [[Gulf of Mexico]], the [[Atlantic]] coast of [[Florida]] and [[West Africa]], [[Indian Ocean]], [[Bay of Bengal]], [[South China Sea]] and [[Southeast Asia]], [[Hawaii]], [[Tahiti]], and many other places worldwide.<ref>{{Cite WoRMS|author=Bailly, Nicolas|year=2008|title= ''Coryphaena hippurus'' Linnaeus, 1758 |id=126846 |access-date=29 January 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=What Is Mahi Mahi? |url=https://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/packages/food-network-essentials/what-is-mahi-mahi |access-date=29 January 2025 |website=Food Network |language=en}}</ref><ref name=ADW/>

Fishing charters most often look for floating debris and [[frigatebird]]s near the edge of the reef in about {{convert|120|ft|m}} of water. Mahi-mahi (and many other fish) often swim near debris such as floating wood, five-gallon bucket lids, palm trees and fronds, or sargasso weed lines and around [[Fish aggregating device|fish buoys]]. Frigatebirds search for food accompanying the debris or sargasso. Experienced [[fishing guide]]s can tell what species are likely around the debris by the birds' behavior.

{{convert|30|to|50|lb|adj=on}} gear is more than adequate when [[trolling (fishing)|trolling]] for mahi-mahi. Fly-casters may especially seek frigatebirds to find big mahi-mahis, and then use a bait-and-switch technique. [[Ballyhoo]] or a net full of live [[sardine]]s tossed into the water can excite the mahi-mahis into a feeding frenzy. Hookless teaser lures can have the same effect. After tossing the teasers or live [[chumming|chum]], fishermen throw the fly to the feeding mahi-mahi. Once on a line, mahi-mahi are fast, flashy, and acrobatic, with beautiful blue, yellow, green, and even red dots of color.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Everything You Need to Know About Mahi-Mahi |url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/all-about-mahi-mahi-fish-1300648 |access-date=29 January 2025 |website=The Spruce Eats |language=en}}</ref>

==== Commercial fishing ====
[[File:Common dolphinfish, capture production, thousand tonnes, 1950-2022.svg|thumb|Global capture production of Common dolphinfish (''Coryphaena hippurus'') in thousand tonnes from 1950 to 2022, as reported by the [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fisheries and Aquaculture - Global Production |url=https://www.fao.org/fishery/en/collection/global_production?lang=en |access-date=6 May 2024 |website=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)}}</ref>]]
The United States and the Caribbean countries are the primary consumers of this fish, but many European countries are increasing their consumption every year.{{citation needed|date=May 2010}} It is a popular food fish in Australia, usually caught and sold as a byproduct by tuna and swordfish [[commercial fishing]] operators. Japan and Hawaii are significant consumers. The [[Arabian Sea]], particularly the coast of [[Oman]], also has mahi-mahi. At first, mahi-mahi were mostly [[bycatch]] in the tuna and swordfish [[longline fishing|longline]] fishery. Now, they are sought by commercial fishermen on their own merits.

In [[French Polynesia]], fishermen use [[harpoon]]s, using a specifically designed boat, the {{Lang|ty|poti marara}}, to pursue it, because mahi-mahi do not dive. The ''{{Lang|ty|poti marara}}'' is a powerful motorized V-shaped boat, optimized for high agility and speed, and driven with a stick so the pilot can hold his harpoon with his right hand. The method is also practiced by fishermen in the Philippines, especially in the northern province of Batanes, where the harpooning is called {{Lang|fil|pagmamamataw}}.

=== Environmental and food safety concerns ===
Depending on how it is caught, mahi-mahi is classed differently by various sustainability rating systems:

* The [[Monterey Bay Aquarium]] classifies mahi-mahi, when caught in the US Atlantic, as a best choice, the top of its three environmental-impact categories. The aquarium advises to avoid imported mahi-mahi harvested by long line, but rates troll and pole-and-line caught as a good alternative.
* The [[Natural Resources Defense Council]] classifies mahi-mahi as a "moderate [[mercury (element)|mercury]]" fish (its second-lowest of four categories), and suggests eating six servings or fewer per month.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.asp | title = Consumer Guide to Mercury in Fish | date = 10 March 2016 }}</ref>

The mahi-mahi is also a common vector for [[Ciguatera fish poisoning|ciguatera poisoning]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://research.myfwc.com/features/view_article.asp?id=1187 | title = Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CFP) | publisher = Fish and Wildlife Research Institute | access-date = 4 January 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061125233242/http://research.myfwc.com/features/view_article.asp?id=1187 | archive-date = 25 November 2006 }}</ref> Although a very popular food dish in many parts of the world, there have been reports of ciguatera poisoning from human consumption of this fish. Ciguatera poisoning is caused by the accumulation of toxins ([[ciguatoxins]] and [[maitotoxin]]) in the flesh of the fish over time. These are produced by ''[[Gambierdiscus toxicus]]'' which grows together with marine algae, which causes fish like the mahi-mahi to consume them by accident.<ref name=Florida>{{cite web |url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/coryphaena-hippurus/|title=''Dolphinfish''|year=2019 |publisher=Florida Museum of Natural History |access-date=2 June 2019}}</ref>

Mahi-mahi naturally have high levels of [[histidine]], which is converted to [[histamine]] when [[bacterial]] growth occurs during improper storage or processing.<ref name=Yellow2018>{{cite web |title=Food Poisoning from Marine Toxins - Chapter 2 - 2018 Yellow Book |url=https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2018/the-pre-travel-consultation/food-poisoning-from-marine-toxins |website=CDC |access-date=1 June 2018 |language=en-us |date=2017}}{{PD-notice}}</ref> Subsequent cooking, smoking, or freezing does not eliminate the histamine. This leads to a [[foodborne illness]] known as [[scombroid food poisoning]], which also affect other fish such as [[tuna]], [[mackerel]], [[sardine]], [[anchovy]], [[herring]], [[bluefish]], [[amberjack]] and [[marlin]].<ref name=Yellow2018/> Symptoms are those of [[histamine intolerance]] and may include [[flushed skin]], headache, itchiness, blurred vision, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea,<ref name=Yellow2018/> and the onset of symptoms is typically 10 to 60 minutes after eating and can last for up to two days.<ref name=Yellow2018/> Rarely, breathing problems (like that of [[allergic asthma]]) or an [[heart arrhythmia|irregular heartbeat]] may occur.<ref name=Yellow2018/> Diagnosis is typically based on the symptoms and may be supported by a normal blood [[tryptase]].<ref name=Rid2016>{{cite journal |last1=Ridolo |first1=E |last2=Martignago |first2=I |last3=Senna |first3=G |last4=Ricci |first4=G |title=Scombroid syndrome: it seems to be fish allergy but... it isn't. |journal=Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology |date=October 2016 |volume=16 |issue=5 |pages=516–21 |doi=10.1097/ACI.0000000000000297 |pmid=27466827|s2cid=21610715 }}</ref>

<gallery heights="200" mode="packed">
File:Mahi mahi costa rica.jpg|Bull (male) mahi-mahi
File:Lines of sargassum Sargasso Sea.jpg|Mahi-mahi are attracted to ''[[Sargassum]]'', floating brown algae that serve as both a hiding place and source of food. Lines of this genus can stretch for miles along the ocean surface.
File:GrilledMahiMahi.jpg|[[Grilling|Grilled]] mahi-mahi
</gallery>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|d=Q14443|commonscat=Coryphaena hippurus|species=Coryphaena hippurus|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|wikt=no|s=no|q=no}}
* {{FishBase|genus=Coryphaena|species=hippurus|year=2004|month=October}}
* [https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/animals-a-to-z/dolphinfish Dolphinfish] Monterey Bay Aquarium
* [https://oceana.org/living-blue-sustainable-seafood-guide/ Oceana's Sustainable Seafood Guide]
* [https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/49324-Coryphaenidae Dolphinfishes] from iNaturalist
* [https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/atlantic-mahi-mahi Atlantic Mahi Mahi] ''NOAA FishWatch''. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
* [https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/pacific-mahimahi Pacific Mahi Mahi] ''NOAA FishWatch''. Retrieved 11 November 2012.

{{Meat|state=expanded}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q14443}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Commercial fish]]
[[Category:Coryphaenidae|mahi-mahi]]
[[Category:Fish described in 1758]]
[[Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Fish of the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Native Hawaiian cuisine]]
[[Category:Hawaiian words and phrases]]
[[Category:Pantropical fish]]
[[Category:Game fish]]
[[Category:Cuisine of the Southern United States]]
[[Category:Fish of Aruba]]