There is a lot of confusion when it comes to using the word “dolphin”.

Many of us grew up watching “Flipper” on TV and were told it was a bottle nosed dolphin when it was really a porpoise. The names, dolphin and porpoise, as they are now commonly used, refer to the mammal. Dolphin also happens to be the name of a family of fish.

It can get confusing if you’re not careful. In the Gulf of Mexico there are two species of dolphin fish, the common dolphin (Coryphaena hippurus) and the pompano dolphin (Coryphaena equisetis).

Both of these species are worldwide in distribution in both tropical and subtropical waters. The common dolphin is rarely found close to shore while the pompano dolphin tends to like it a bit closer in. They’re also called Dorado and Mahi-Mahi, which in Hawaiian means strong-strong.

In both of these species the males are the “Cock-of-the-Walk” when it comes to coloration.

They have bright iridescent green, blue and yellow colors with the more mature males of the common dolphin developing a pronounced high forehead.

These bright colors rapidly fade once they’re landed so if you expect to see one on the docks in full coloration you’ll be disappointed.

The common dolphin is larger than the pompano dolphin but they look very much alike. They are hard to tell apart unless you like counting dorsal fin rays (60 vs. 52, respectively).

Dolphin fish spawn in blue water with spawning generally taking place in early summer, but in tropical waters the season can begin earlier and extend later.

These fish can be sexually mature around 20 inches. The smallest females produce only a few hundred eggs, while large fish may yield several million eggs. Following that thought, it is better to throw the big females back.

Dolphin fish are one of the fastest growing fish and are thought to live only five years or less.

They can swim at an estimated 50 knots and spawn in ocean currents throughout the year. Their young have been found sheltering in sargassum weed.

Dolphin fish feed on flying fish, squids and other fish. Dolphin fish live in the surface waters of open oceans, and are very often found near floating objects, which tend to attract and shelter the small fish they feed.

Young dolphin fish, commonly called “schoolies”, can form large schools early in the season. These 20- to 30-inch fish will stay in a tight school and keep right on hitting any shiny lure you put in front of them until all the fish are caught.

Think Global – Act Local!

Dr. “Skip” Lazauski can be seen on the television show “Eco-Bites”, which airs on Mediacom’s channel 14 and Smartel’s channel 4. To reach Dr. Lazauski for questions and comments, send e-mail to IchiOrca@yahoo.com. For more information, see his Web site, drskiponline.com.