General info. about the Dorado fish (known as the dolphinfish and Mahi Mahi) - Essay Example

Dorado Fish The dorado fish is popularly known as mahi-mahi or a common dolphinfish. As this fish is popularly referred to as ‘dolphin’ it has caused a degree of confusion with the porpoise. The dorado fish is featured in Fig. 1. Fig. 1 Dorado FishThe scientific name of this species is coryphanaena hippurus (Bostwick). Additionally, there are a number of notable scientific classifications for this species. The kingdom is animalia (Bostwick). The phylum is chordate (Bostwick). The class is actinopterygii (Bostwick).

The order is perciformes (Bostwick). The family is coryphaenidae (Bostwick). The genus is coryphaena (Bostwick). The fish itself has a round rectangular like shape and long dorsal fins that extend close to the entire length of their bodies. Additionally, the fish has sharp and concave caudal and anal fins. Perhaps most notably, however, is the fish’s coloration. In these regards, the fish has bright and vibrant color. Gold is featured on the fish’s sides, with bright blue and green colors on the fish’s back.

The fish is a surface-dwelling animal that is found in tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters ("Florida Museum"). The general life span of these fish is four to five years ("Florida Museum"). The fish’s development is recognized as being highly rapid; indeed, it’s been noted that this fish’s growth is one of the fasted among ocean fish ("Florida Museum"). Mahi mahi are sexually mature in their first year, generally this development occurs by 4 or 5 months old ("Florida Museum"). In terms of spawning; this occurs when they reach body lengths of twenty centimeters.

Female dorado spawn two to three times per year ("Fishbase"). This spawing only occurs when they are in warm waters, yet it occurs year around ("Fishbase"). When these fish spawn they produce a staggering amount of eggs – between 80,000 and 1,000,000 ("Fishbase"). When the eggs are located in many ocean areas, they have oftentimes been located in seaweed deposits. The physiology of gas exchange is highly impactful of these eggs as dissolved oxygen, coupled with problems maintaining salinity, adequate nutritional value and proper size result in 20-30% mortality rate for these larvae ("Fishbase").

The main environmental impact on this fish is from commercial fishermen. Indeed, the fish is a popular target for fisherman as it is regarded as a delicacy. Generally in terms of fishing, catches of the dorado fish measure between 15 and 30 lbs, with catches above 40 lbs considered rare and exceptional. There have been a variety of studies that have investigated the extent that this fish is at risk of overfishing ("environmental defense fund"). Generally it is recognized that the fish can withstand high amount of harvesting.

Particularly, the fish’s high levels of spawning have prevented it from facing the risk of such overharvesting ("aquarium"). Still, the fish faces additional environmental risks from ecological predators. In the Atlantic Ocean, the dorado fish’s main predators are the albacore tuna (thunnus alalunga), the yellowfin tuna (thunnus albacares), and the blue marlin (makaira nigricans). In the Pacific Ocean the fish’s main predator is the swordfish (xiphias gladius), as well as sharks and porpoises.

Additionally, as these fish are surface dwelling they face threats from a variety of birds in both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. ReferencesBostwick, Joshua. "Coryphaena hippurus ." animaldiversity. N.p., 2011. Web. 15 May 2012. . "Coryphaena hippurus ." Fishbase. N.p., 2010. Web. 15 May 2012. ."Mahi Mahi." Florida Museum. N.p., 2009. Web. 15 May 2012. ."Mahimahi (Imported Longline)." environmental defense fund. N.p., 2012. Web. 15 May 2012. ."Seafood Watch." aquarium. N.p., 2012. Web.

15 May 2012.