Discover the Official Florida State Saltwater Fish (And Where You Can Catch Them)

In 1975, the state of Florida formally adopted the sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) as its state saltwater fish. These impressive ocean fish are plentiful in the state’s open waters. Sailfish are famed for their incredible top speeds and ocean anglers travel to Florida from all over the country to catch them.

In this article, we’ll put the spotlight on the Florida state saltwater fish. We’ll talk about its iconic appearance, what it eats, and how fast this fish can move. We’ll also talk about the best places in the state to catch sailfish and ecological concerns to be aware of.

About the Sailfish

The state saltwater fish of Florida is the sailfish, which is a billfish in the family Istiophoridae. These strong, majestic animals swim at record-setting top speeds and have quite the reputation among open-ocean anglers. Let’s find out more about these unique ocean fish.

What Is the Sailfish’s Conservation Status?

The IUCN lists the sailfish’s conservation status as Vulnerable. This means that it is at risk of extinction. In this case, overfishing is one of the animal’s greatest threats. Although there are protections in place to prevent commercial fishing of this species, they often end up in the large nets of commercial vessels as bycatch. The captured sailfish sometimes live once released into the ocean. However, the fish likely sustain injury throughout the netting process. If they do not die before they are released, the injuries are likely to impact their lifespans.

Key Physical Features

The sailfish is a long and slender fish that can reach lengths of up to 10 feet. The upper half of its body is a deep blue or blue-gray color. The underside of the fish is silvery-white.

This fish is instantly recognizable by two key traits: its huge, sail-like dorsal fin, and its long, spear-shaped upper jaw.

The first dorsal fin is nearly as long as the entire fish and is much taller than its body. By raising and lowering its sail and retracting its lower fins, it can greatly decrease its coefficient of drag. This helps the sailfish move efficiently and quickly through its ocean environment at impressive top speeds. Opening its sail helps it to slow down.

Sailfish use their sails to affect more than just their top speed, though. These fish often feed cooperatively and may utilize their sails to help each other herd bait fish into tight, easy-to-catch groups. Once they have herded their prey, the sailfish use their sails to stabilize their bodies as they strike at the bait fish.

Their upper jaw, or “rostrum”, which they use to spear and prod at their meal, is often twice as long as their lower jaw. Oftentimes, they reach up to 12 inches in length! A recent study showed that sailfish can use their spear-like jaws to slash and poke their herded prey at some of the fastest speeds ever recorded in aquatic vertebrates. The same study also showed highly organized group feeding behaviors.

Diet and Ecological Role

Like several other billfish, the sailfish fills the role of an apex predator. These predators are high up on the food chain in the ecosystems they inhabit and fall prey to few other animals. Species in this role are often keystone species, which means that they play a large part in maintaining the balance of their ecosystems. In this case, the sailfish helps to keep populations of bait fishes, crustaceans, and cephalopods in check.

While they may feed alone along rocks and coral reefs in search of squid, crab, and small reef fish, they are also very cooperative open-water group feeders. They will often prey on sardines, mackerel, tuna, and jackfish species. Sometimes, sailfish will even dive down to feed on the ocean floor!

Where Do Sailfish Live?

These fish inhabit warm tropical and subtropical waters across the globe. They appear in great numbers along Florida’s coasts, especially during the winter and early spring. As temperatures drop in the northern and southern extremes of the sailfish’s range, they begin to migrate towards the equator, perhaps in pursuit of migrating prey fish. Large populations frequent the Gulf of Mexico as well as the state’s southeastern Atlantic coastline in the colder months. Their abundance in the area is part of the reason they were named the state saltwater fish.

Typically, sailfish spend much of their time near the surface of the open ocean, in the epipelagic zone. This ocean zone runs as deep as 650 feet. Although they tend to live in shallower waters, these fish are capable of diving much deeper in search of food. They will sometimes venture close to nearby coastlines and frequent coral reefs.

In addition to the state of Florida, large numbers of sailfish reside near Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Tahiti. They often also appear around Hawai’i and in the Polynesian Islands.

How Fast Can Sailfish Swim?

Because of its streamlined form, sailfish can reach top speeds of nearly 70 miles per hour! To get moving that fast, the fish lowers its sail and tucks its long pectoral fins into specialized grooves in its body. Research continues to determine exactly how the hydrodynamic characteristics of the fish allow it to travel so quickly.

Where to Catch the Florida State Saltwater Fish

The popularity of the sailfish in the fishing world is in large part the reason it became the state saltwater fish. Anglers travel from all over to take to the offshore waters of Florida to catch them. In 1934, author Ernest Hemingway landed a sailfish measuring more than 9 feet long in one of the state’s best spots.

If you’re traveling to Florida in search of your next big catch, you will likely want to check out fishing charters in the following areas:

• Fort Lauderdale Area
• Near Jacksonville
• Near West Palm Beach
• Stuart, often considered the sailfish capital of the world
• In the waters near Key West, the state’s southernmost point.

Best Practices

While there are no legal restrictions on catching sailfish recreationally, it is important to remember that the animal is vulnerable to extinction.

Although the sailfish can put up a thrilling fight on the end of a line, the effects of being caught are often quite detrimental to the animal. Similar to the effects of commercial bycatch, hooked fish often sustain injuries that lead to mortality. Lifting the fish out of the water after a hard fight deprives the animal of the oxygen it needs to recover. Additionally, constant attempts to remove hooks, especially ones that have barbs, can often cause extensive damage to the animal’s eyes, mouth, and gills. Continued interaction severely decreases the odds of survival post-release.

In addition to the physiological stresses and injuries caused by being hooked, sailfish often become injured or killed by masses of cut fishing lines, abandoned lures, and other fishing-related paraphernalia. These objects tend to accumulate in large patches in the ocean and end up ensnaring a variety of ocean animals.

If you decide to fish recreationally, there are several practices that you can put in place to increase the likelihood that your catch survives. These practices, such as the use of circle hooks instead of J-hooks and leaving the animal in the water, have been studied by the state of Florida and are shown to significantly decrease the mortality rate of caught fish.