Istiophorus platypterus, Indo-Pacific sailfish : fisheries, gamefish
This page is sponsored by
FishBase Consortium Member

Istiophorus platypterus (Shaw, 1792)

Indo-Pacific sailfish
Add your observation in Fish Watcher
Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2100
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Istiophorus platypterus   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
Upload your photos and videos
Pictures | Stamps, Coins Misc. | Google image
Image of Istiophorus platypterus (Indo-Pacific sailfish)
Istiophorus platypterus
Picture by University of Western Australia (UWA)

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Carangiformes (Jacks) > Istiophoridae (Billfishes)
Etymology: Istiophorus: Greek, istios = sail + Greek, pherein = to carry (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Shaw.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; pelagic-oceanic; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 200 m (Ref. 54238), usually 30 - ? m (Ref. 9688). Subtropical; 50°N - 43°S, 180°W - 180°E (Ref. 43)

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Indo-Pacific: tropical and temperate waters approximately 45°- 50°N and 40°-35°S in the western Pacific, 35°N and 35°S in the eastern Pacific; 45°S in western Indian Ocean and 35°S in eastern Indian Ocean. Entered Mediterranean Sea from Red sea via Suez Canal. Highly migratory species, Annex I of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea (Ref. 26139). Some authors recognize a single worldwide species, Istiophorus platypterus (Shaw & Nodder 1792) but we follow Nakamura 1990 (Ref. 10820) retaining the usage of Istiophorus platypterus for the Indo-Pacific sailfish and Istiophorus albicans for the Atlantic sailfish in recognition of the differences between them.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - 150 cm
Max length : 348 cm FL male/unsexed; (Ref. 40637); common length : 270 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9308); max. published weight: 100.2 kg (Ref. 40637); max. reported age: 13 years (Ref. 53742)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 47-53; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 12 - 15. This species is distinguished by the following characters: slender elongate and fairly compressed with a high, sail-like first dorsal fin; upper jaw prolonged into a very long beak, slender and round in cross-section; jaws and palatines with villiform teeth; no gill rakers; two dorsal fins, the first very large (42-49 rays) the second small (6-7 rays); pectoral fins 18-20 rays; pelvic fins I, 2 soft rays fused together, very long and narrow, depressible into a groove; caudal peduncle with double keels on each side; body covered with small, embedded scales with 1 or 2 blunt points. Colour of back dark with about 20 bluish vertical bars; belly pale silver; membrane of first dorsal fin blue- black with numerous dark spots; bases of first and second anal fins often tinged with silvery white; remaining fins blackish brown or dark blue (Ref. 43, 26938).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Oceanic and epipelagic species usually found above the thermocline. Most densely distributed in waters close to coasts and islands (Ref. 9688). Most likely schools by size. Undergoes spawning migrations in the Pacific. Feeds mainly on fishes, crustaceans and cephalopods. Caught mainly with longlines, set nets, and sometimes by trolling and harpooning from boats (Ref. 43). Utilized fresh, smoked and frozen; also used for sashimi and sushi; eaten broiled and baked (Ref. 9987).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Seems to spawn throughout the year in tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific with peak spawning occurring in the respective local summer seasons. Spawning occurs with males and females swimming in pairs or with two or three males chasing a single female (probably a mating behavior). The ripe ovarian eggs are about 0.85 mm in diameter and have a single oil globule; there are no structures on the vitalize membrane and the egg is transparent. Eggs shed from captured female in the Indian Ocean averaged 1.304 mm in diameter.

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Nakamura, I., 1985. FAO species catalogue. Vol. 5. Billfishes of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of marlins, sailfishes, spearfishes and swordfishes known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(5):65p. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 43)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 126983)

  Vulnerable (VU) (A2bd); Date assessed: 01 May 2021

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
FAO - Fisheries: landings, species profile; Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Stocks
Ecology
Diet
Food items
Food consumption
Ration
Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Spawning aggregation
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development
References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
Strains
Genetics
Allele frequencies
Heritability
Diseases
Processing
Nutrients
Mass conversion
Collaborators
Pictures
Stamps, Coins Misc.
Sounds
Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
Brains
Vision

Tools

Special reports

Download XML

Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 18.2 - 27.7, mean 25.6 °C (based on 513 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.7505   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00575 (0.00271 - 0.01223), b=3.14 (2.95 - 3.33), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for species & Subfamily-BS (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  4.5   ±0.3 se; based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (rm=0.11; K=0.4-0.8; tmax=13; Fec=>2M).
Prior r = 0.28, 95% CL = 0.16 - 0.49, Based on 3 stock assessments.
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  High vulnerability (56 of 100).
Climate Vulnerability (Ref. 125649):  Moderate to high vulnerability (48 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Very high.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 26.2 [12.9, 42.4] mg/100g ; Iron = 0.856 [0.511, 1.406] mg/100g ; Protein = 19.6 [18.4, 20.6] % ; Omega3 = 0.209 [0.114, 0.374] g/100g ; Selenium = 44.7 [23.7, 83.1] μg/100g ; VitaminA = 6.44 [2.15, 18.92] μg/100g ; Zinc = 0.364 [0.257, 0.521] mg/100g (wet weight);