Sailfish

Istiophorus albicans

Depth0–2,000 ft +

Runs with the spring billfish window along the Gulf Stream edge.

Typical30–60 lb68–90 in
Largest recorded128 lb10 ft 4 in
Depth range0 ft +species-wide
IGFA all-tackle128 lb 1 ozLuanda, Angola · 1974

How big, really

A sailfish and a six-foot adult, drawn to one scale.

A six-foot adult man standing for scale, drawn to the same scale as the fish — Both drawn to one scale from the sourced length below. The fish is an illustration, not a photograph; the human figure is a stipulated 6 ft (1.83 m) reference, not a measurement.

Sailfish drawn 7 ft 6 in long beside a six-foot adult at the same scale — Both drawn to one scale from the sourced length below. The fish is an illustration, not a photograph; the human figure is a stipulated 6 ft (1.83 m) reference, not a measurement.

The sailfish year

Twelve months around the dial, straight from the island's season data — peak months reach the outer ring. Pick a month to see what else is running. Peak: Apr, May.

Field notes

How it is fished: Kite fishing live bait (goggle-eyes, pilchards, threadfin herring, ballyhoo suspended at the surface under a kite) is the dominant SE Florida/Bahamas technique; trolling rigged ballyhoo is also used.
What it eats: Cephalopods (squid, octopus) and bony fishes — mackerels, tunas, jacks, halfbeaks, needlefish; Pacific populations also take sardines, anchovies, small dolphinfish, ribbonfish, and triggerfish.
Depth: Generally remains above the thermocline in water 70-83°F; surface/epipelagic and oceanic, though there is some evidence it also swims into deeper water. No specific maximum depth figure found.
Worth knowing: The famous claim that sailfish can hit 68 mph (or higher) comes from a single anecdotal instance of a jumping fish pulling out 100 yards of line in 3 seconds — not a controlled measurement. A peer-reviewed muscle-contraction-time study found sailfish are physiologically incapable of exceeding roughly 10-15 m/s (about 22-34 mph), and a separate high-speed video/accelerometer study estimated a real top speed near 36 km/h (about 22 mph). The 'fastest fish in the ocean' claim is almost certainly exaggerated.
Conservation & rules: IUCN Red List: Vulnerable (2022 assessment, corroborated via secondary summary). ICCAT/NOAA manage Atlantic sailfish as two stocks: the Eastern Atlantic stock is not overfished and not subject to overfishing; the Western Atlantic stock is overfished but not currently subject to overfishing. U.S. commercial sale is prohibited, recreational minimum size is 63 in lower jaw fork length, and catch-and-release is emphasized.
Taxonomy: Atlantic sailfish; most current authorities, including ICCAT, treat Atlantic and Indo-Pacific sailfish as a single species, Istiophorus platypterus, with I. albicans a synonym — no consistent mtDNA, morphometric, or meristic differences found).

The record

128 lb 1 ozIGFA all-tackle world record

Luanda, Angola · 1974

Source

Where it lives

The island's relief model with bluewater lit — 2,000 ft +, the Gulf Stream edge, a mile off the beach. Drag it to change the angle.

4 of 8 mapped — 4 without usable coordinates, all listed belowEvery charter and guide the directory holds. Which boats work which water changes with the season and the weather — ask when you call.Seabed: GMRT · Coastline: © OpenStreetMap contributors

The Bimini story

Sailfish run with the spring billfish window along the Gulf Stream edge off Bimini, per longstanding local fishing reputation, alongside blue marlin. No specific IGFA record or documented Bimini sailfish tournament milestone could be verified.

Sources

What we could not verify (3)

Exact current IGFA all-tackle record (128 lb 1 oz / 1974 vs. a possibly superseding 142 lb 6 oz / 2014 claim — could not confirm directly on igfa.org).
Maximum depth figure.
Any Bimini-specific sailfish record or tournament connection.