Mahimahi / Botague
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Mahimahi / Botague
Coryphaena hippurus
The måhimåhi or botague, as it is called in Chamoru, also known as dolphinfish throughout much of the world, is an important food and game fish found in all tropical seas. It migrates into temperate seas during the warmest months of the year. Botague are surface dwelling fish of the open sea, often found near floating objects which attract and offer limited protection to the small fishes upon which they feed. They feed primarily on flying fishes, which are followed even when in flight and seized as they drop back into the water. This requires excellent eyesight and the ability to swim at speeds as high as 50 miles per hour (80 km/hr).
Botague are migratory and highly seasonal in Guam's waters, although a few occur throughout the year. They are most abundant from February to April and most often caught when the water is moderately rough. In the northwest Pacific, botague spawn in mid-summer when the bulk of the migration is off southern Japan. Those that are ready to spawn are rare near Guam. Each female produces up to several hundred thousand eggs. Juveniles tend to concentrate around floating objects such as seaweed, and may even be eaten by adults.
Botague grow extremely fast. One aquarium-reared fish grew from one to 37 pounds (17 kg) in eight months. Nearly all the botague caught in Guam's waters are less than a year old. Botague can live up to five years, but rarely live longer than three years. They can reach a fork length of 5 feet, nine inches (1.75 m; measured from the tip of the snout to the notch in the middle of the tail). The largest botague on record weighed 87 pounds (39.5 kg), and the largest caught near Guam was 52 pounds (24 kg). Botague are caught primarly by trolling with lures or squid. Their year to year abundance near Guam is quite variable, with recent annual landings from small boats ranging from 14 to 155 tons (13 to 141 MT). In good years, botague landings exceed those of all other locally-caught fishes.
Photos © Robert F. Myers
Guam Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy, 9/27/2005
