Atlantic sailfish (Istiophorus albicans)

Scientific name: Istiophorus albicans Latreille, 1804

The Atlantic sailfish (Istiophorus albicans) is a marine fish of the family Istiophoridae. In the aquarium it needs water at 21–28°C (70–82°F).

Atlantic sailfish care at a glance

Temperature: 21–28°C (70–82°F)

Biology

Usually found in the upper layers of warm water above the thermocline, but also capable of descending to rather deep water. Often migrate into near-shore waters. Occasionally form schools or smaller groups of 3 to 30 individuals, but often occur in loose aggregations over a wide area. Feed mainly on small pelagic fishes but also takes bottom-dwelling organisms. Females grow larger. Utilized fresh, canned and frozen; eaten steamed.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Istiophorus albicans
Family: Istiophoridae (Billfishes)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 315
Common length: 240
Depth range: 0–200 m (0–656 ft)
Environment: Marine; pelagic-oceanic; oceanodromous; depth range 0 - 200 m
Climate: Subtropical
Distribution: Atlantic Ocean: in tropical and temperate waters approximately 40?N in the northwest Atlantic, 50?N in the northeast Atlantic, 40?S in the southwest Atlantic, and 32?S in the southeast Atlantic. Migrating to Mediterranean Sea, mostly based on juvenile specimens. Highly migratory species, Annex I of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea. Some authors recognize a single worldwide species, Istiophorus platypterus (Shaw 1792) but we follow Nakamura 1990 retaining the usage of Istiophorus platypterus for the Indo-Pacific sailfish and Istiophorus albicans for the Atlantic sailfish in recognition of differences between them.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.29-1.2 (?); tm=3.5)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026