Dorado (Mahi-Mahi)

The mahi-mahi (in Hawaiian) (Coryphaena hippurus). In other languages, it is known as lampuga, lampuka, rakingo, calitos, maverikos, dorado. These are surface-dwelling ray-finned fish found in off-shore temperate, tropical, and subtropical waters worldwide. They are one of only two members of the Coryphaenidae family, the other being the pompano dolphinfish. Mahi-mahi means very strong in Hawaiian.

Tuna

The yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) is a species of tuna found in pelagic waters of tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide.

Yellowfin is often marketed as ahi, from its Hawaiian name ‘ahi although the name ‘ahi in Hawaiian also refers to the closely related bigeye tuna. The species name, albacares (“white meat”) can lead to confusion. The tuna known as albacore in English is a different species of tuna: Thunnus alalunga. However, yellowfin tuna is officially designated albacore in French and is referred to as albacora by Portuguese fishermen.

Wahoo

The wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) is a scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. It is best known to sports fishermen, as its speed and high-quality flesh make it a prize game fish. In Hawaii, the wahoo is known as ono. Many Hispanic areas of the Caribbean and Central America refer to this fish as peto.

Snapper

The red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, is a fish found in the Gulf of Mexico and the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States and, much less commonly, northward as far as Massachusetts. In Latin American Spanish it is known as huachinango or pargo. The red snapper commonly inhabits waters thirty to two hundred feet deep, but some are reported to be caught at three hundred feet deep.

All feature a sloped profile, medium-to-large scales, a spiny dorsal fin, and a laterally compressed body. The maximum published age of a caught red snapper was reported to be fifty-seven years old. The coloration of the red snapper is light red, with more intense pigment on the back.

A red snapper attains sexual maturity at 25 years old. An adult snapper can live for more than 50 years and weigh 50 pounds. Red snappers are prized food fish, caught commercially, as well as recreationally. Red snapper is the most commonly caught snapper in the continental USA (almost 50% of the total catch), with similar species being more common elsewhere. When red snapper is sold in restaurants, it may be one of similar snapper species or rockfish in order to meet demand or reduce costs.

Snook

The common snook (Centropomus undecimalis) is a species of marine fish in the family Centropomidae of the order Perciformes. This species is native to the coastal waters of the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, from southern Florida and Texas to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The oo can be pronounced as in either room or good.

Roosterfish

The roosterfish, Nematistius pectoralis, is a game fish common in the marine waters surrounding Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, and in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Baja California to Peru. It is the only fish in the genus Nematistius and the family Nematistiidae. It is distinguished by its “rooster comb”, seven very long spines of the dorsal fin

Tarpon

Tarpon is large fish of the genus Megalops. There are two species of Megalops, one native to the Atlantic, and the other to the Indo-Pacific oceans. They are the only members of the family Megalopidae.

Costa Rica Fish Species: Rivers & Lakes

Costa Rica’s rivers and lakes