1 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:07,840 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey Brainstuff Lauren 2 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:13,280 Speaker 1: vogelbom here. One of the coolest looking and most recognizable 3 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:16,279 Speaker 1: fish in the ocean, the sailfish is also one of 4 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:19,720 Speaker 1: the fastest and most athletic in the world. It's a 5 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:22,840 Speaker 1: type of billfish, a group of predatory fish species that 6 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 1: also includes the swordfish, spearfish, and marlin. A billfish are 7 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:30,640 Speaker 1: known for their long, spear like bills and for their 8 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:34,280 Speaker 1: impressive size and speed. A billfish species tend to be 9 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:36,960 Speaker 1: apex predators and use their bills to help hunt and 10 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: catch prey. They don't literally spear the prey with their swords, 11 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:44,080 Speaker 1: but more often they use those bills to slash at 12 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:49,640 Speaker 1: and stun schooling fish. They also have visually striking dorsal 13 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:52,839 Speaker 1: fins on their backs, though none are as remarkable as 14 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: the sailfishes. Its signature sale like dorsal fin grows along 15 00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 1: almost the entire length of its body can be taller 16 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 1: than the fish is wide from spine to stomach, a 17 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: meaning that the sale is about as big as the 18 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 1: sailfish itself, and that's pretty big. The sailfish can grow 19 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:13,200 Speaker 1: up to ten feet that's three meters long from tip 20 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: to tail, and can weigh upwards of two hundred and 21 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:19,680 Speaker 1: twenty pounds that's one hundred kilos. Even at that size, 22 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,039 Speaker 1: they are fast. They can swim nearly seventy miles an 23 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 1: hour or one hundred and ten kilometers an hour, making 24 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:28,840 Speaker 1: the sailfish the fastest fish in the ocean. Just to 25 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:31,960 Speaker 1: put that in perspective, the cheetah, the fastest animal on land, 26 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: tops out at about the same speed. The sailfish can 27 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:39,840 Speaker 1: be found in temperate two tropical bodies of salt water 28 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:42,759 Speaker 1: around the world. They live about four or five years 29 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:44,480 Speaker 1: in the wild, but have been known to survive about 30 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 1: twice that in captivity. Are they're commonly seen along the 31 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 1: southeast coast of the United States, the Gulf of Mexico, 32 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: and around Puerto Rico, Bermuda and the Windward Islands. They're 33 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:57,960 Speaker 1: also found in parts of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, 34 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 1: with some occasionally found in the mediterrane and Sea. Though 35 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 1: sailfish are fast, they don't typically travel far, preferring warm 36 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:09,360 Speaker 1: coastal waters and hunting grounds close to the ocean's surface. 37 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 1: Studies have shown that sailfish can deploy and retract those 38 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 1: impressive fins at will. When their sale is retracted, sailfish 39 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:22,440 Speaker 1: can reduce their drag, generating more thrust and speed. The 40 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 1: opposite is also true with the sail raised, they can 41 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: increase their drag and slow down dramatically. A sailfish have 42 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:34,360 Speaker 1: distinctive color patterns too, that help differentiate them from other billfish. 43 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:37,560 Speaker 1: They have mostly blue bodies and white bellies, and a 44 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:41,359 Speaker 1: pattern of light blue spots and vertical stripes. Their fins 45 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:44,359 Speaker 1: are usually blackish blue, and their coloring can change when 46 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:48,919 Speaker 1: they're particularly active or excited. Around the world. They have 47 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: a few common prey, including large fish, squid, and crustaceans 48 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 1: like crabs and shrimp. A sailfish have been observed working 49 00:02:55,880 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: together to surround and trap schools of sardines. Method was 50 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:03,440 Speaker 1: documented with as few as for sailfish to as many 51 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:08,080 Speaker 1: as seventy, though the hunting didn't appear to be coordinated. Instead, 52 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:10,960 Speaker 1: the sailfish charged the school of sardines one at a 53 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:14,520 Speaker 1: time and used their bills to slash and prod the fish. 54 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:18,679 Speaker 1: According to one's study, sailfish might not catch as many 55 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:20,919 Speaker 1: fish as they would if they were hunting alone, but 56 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:23,240 Speaker 1: they definitely don't have to work as hard for it. 57 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:27,480 Speaker 1: The salefish's size means that they are generally at the 58 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: top of the food chain, but they are preyed upon 59 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 1: by a few larger species, typically sharks, orcas, and Mahi mahi. 60 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 1: The meat of the saalefish is tough, so they have 61 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:41,360 Speaker 1: very little value on the commercial seafood market, but because 62 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:45,040 Speaker 1: of their speed, strength and striking looks, they're very popular 63 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:49,120 Speaker 1: targets for sport fishing. A recreational fisherman must use certain 64 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:52,280 Speaker 1: kinds of gear to minimize injury to the sailfish, and 65 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 1: nearly all are catch and release. Only fishermen with a 66 00:03:56,040 --> 00:04:00,080 Speaker 1: Federal Atlantic Highly Migratory Species permit can keep them, and 67 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:01,840 Speaker 1: they must be at least five and a quarter feet 68 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 1: or one point six meters long to be legal. For 69 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 1: the article, this episode is based on How Stuff Works. 70 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:11,840 Speaker 1: Spoke with Captain Ray Rocher, who has been a professional 71 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:16,159 Speaker 1: fisherman since nineteen seventy nine. Rocher has decades of experience 72 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:18,760 Speaker 1: with salefish that began in the nineteen seventies when he 73 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:22,360 Speaker 1: used to eat smoked salefish at his grandfather's house. A 74 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 1: Rocher said, my grandfather was really focused on catching them 75 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 1: and we grew up eating them. It was just part 76 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:31,359 Speaker 1: of our life, a staple of his days of fishing 77 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: on the drift boats. Then, I would say in the 78 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 1: eighties people became more focused on conservation and using circle 79 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:43,040 Speaker 1: hooks and releasing salefish. He explained that salefish are particularly 80 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 1: popular for sport fishing because they're fun to pursue a quote. 81 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 1: There's a challenge involved in catching them, and obviously they're beautiful. 82 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:55,280 Speaker 1: They're really exciting to catch. They jump, they average about 83 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:57,960 Speaker 1: seven feet or over two meters total in length, and 84 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:04,160 Speaker 1: they fight hard. Generally, However, even though sailfish aren't targeted 85 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:07,880 Speaker 1: for commercial fishing, that's still the biggest threat to their population. 86 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 1: A Salefish are sometimes caught along with tuna and other 87 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:14,279 Speaker 1: fish as by catch, a fishing gear for large scale 88 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:19,279 Speaker 1: food production. In the United States, the National Marine Fisheries 89 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:23,440 Speaker 1: Service enforces conservation efforts. All commercial ships flagged in the 90 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:27,480 Speaker 1: US are prohibited from selling, retaining, or purchasing saalefish, along 91 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:32,040 Speaker 1: with all other Atlantic billfish species. As we mentioned, recreational 92 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:35,359 Speaker 1: fishers must have all proper permits to catch sailfish, and 93 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:39,400 Speaker 1: they must release them back to the ocean. Rocher said, 94 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: in his experience, the conservation efforts have paid off. Quote. 95 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:45,919 Speaker 1: One of the big factors in South Florida is that 96 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:49,280 Speaker 1: they're prevalent enough to target. Meaning if I only see 97 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:51,760 Speaker 1: one every week, people just wouldn't spend the money to 98 00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:55,919 Speaker 1: pursue them. Just not common enough, right, just not achievable 99 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:58,279 Speaker 1: enough to go out and catch one or two or 100 00:05:58,279 --> 00:06:02,880 Speaker 1: three a day. Salefish in their current population are that prevalent, 101 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:08,120 Speaker 1: and although fellow landlocked folks like myself might not be 102 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 1: very familiar with it, there is a lot of money 103 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 1: in the sport fishing industry. Rocher said, the benefit that 104 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:17,760 Speaker 1: salefish bring to a local economy is staggering when you 105 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 1: look at what people spend to go catch them. I 106 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:23,720 Speaker 1: have three charter boats. I also fish on other tournament boats. 107 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:26,560 Speaker 1: I can't even tell you how many hundreds of thousands 108 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:28,720 Speaker 1: of dollars are spent in my presence in a year 109 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:37,560 Speaker 1: in the pursuit of generally or mainly salefish. Today's episode 110 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:40,440 Speaker 1: is based on the article Salefish are super fast, stunning 111 00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:43,359 Speaker 1: and smart ocean predators on how stuffworks dot Com, written 112 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 1: by scheris three Whip Brain. Stuff is production of iHeartRadio 113 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:48,760 Speaker 1: and partnership with how Stuffworks dot com and is produced 114 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:51,680 Speaker 1: by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts from my heart Radio, 115 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:55,200 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 116 00:06:55,240 --> 00:07:01,880 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.