By Raz AS –
When asked about what fish has the fastest swimming in the world, of course many already know that the sailing fish wins the title.
Surf fish or also known as sailfish in English, is a species of fish from the family istiophoridae, genus istiophoruswhich is a species of beaked fish, such as mersuji and swordfish.
What distinguishes the sailfish from its cousins, the mersuji and swordfish, is its long, broad dorsal fin, like a ship’s sail, along its back, with its blue-grey body.
In the whole world there are two species of sailing fish that have been identified, namely the Atlantic sailing fish or istiophorus albicanswhich inhabits the cold Atlantic Ocean, and the Indo-Pacific or istiophorus platypterus that inhabit the Indian and Pacific Oceans including in the waters of our country. However, Indo-Pacific fish can also be found in the Atlantic Ocean in the Mediterranean Sea.
In general, sailfish can grow up to about three meters in length with a weight of up to 100 kilograms, and their lifespan can reach up to about 13 to 15 years.
With a recorded swimming speed that can reach up to almost 70 miles/hour which is about 112 kilometers/hour, the sailfish has been crowned as the fastest fish in the world although some experts have denied the claim.
Its wide fins will usually be folded except when attacking its prey. This pelagic fish will attack its prey using its long beak, swinging it to the left and right to injure its prey consisting of small fish before eating it. In addition, this fish also eats molluscs and crustaceans as part of its diet.
In the world of fishing, sailfish is considered one of the greatest and most reliable fish species in the world because of its very high fighting power and clever escape with its unprecedented jumping action. Therefore it is not surprising that anyone who has ever beaten him is considered to have a fishing ‘license’.
Although famous in the fishing world, this fish does not have a high commercial value in the fishing industry. In some places, cruise fishing is completely prohibited except for recreational catch-and-release fishing.
