iStockphoto / Luis Beristain
Guatemala is the sailfish capital of the world and has been for years. The Casa Vieja Lodge has put up some truly ludicrous sailfish numbers including one angler catching 57 sailfish in a single day… on a fly rod (2006). Another boat landed 124 sailfish in a single day. And another boat at Casa Vieja released 300 sailfish in just 3 days of fishing.
Just 18 minutes down the road from Casa Vieja Lodge is the Pacific Fins Resort where they just landed a true unicorn, a ‘1-in-a-million fish.’ They caught an all-white leucistic sailfish that looks like a unicorn wrapped in mirrored tint and this is easily one of the coolest and rarest fish we’ve ever seen.
The rare leucistic sailfish was caught by Pacific Fins Resort guest Paul Renfro aboard the lodge’s 40′ G&S named Libertad. Interestingly, in the caption the lodge says they caught another one back in 2018.
Why are leucistic sailfish so rare?
Picture this: you’re a predator. You see a school of fish and you’re looking for a meal but the school appears to be a blob because all of the fish look the same and move in unison.
Then, you catch sight of a bright white fish. It’s so white that it shines in the sun like a mirrored rainbow. You can spot it from anywhere and boom, it’s an easy meal. How could you NOT spot this fish?
The actual odds of leucism (all white pigment) occurring in sailfish are murky. That’s because most sailfish born with leucism get eaten before they can grow up and as a pelagic fish traveling the 7 seas this all happens in the open ocean and scientists are unable to get a handle on how common it is.
In birds, however, leucism happens in roughly 1-in-30,000 birds. So while it might not be ‘1-in-a-million’ of a fish being born with leucism the odds of that fish reaching maturity might actually be significantly higher than 1-in-a-million because of the obstacles faced in life.
Sailfish do have a few competitive advantages over other fish, leucistic or not. They grow from 7 inches to 4+ feet in their first six months. Sailfish can also generate short speed bursts of up to 68 MPH:
But getting to that point, as an all-white fish sticking out like a sore thumb in a vast ocean is a tall task. Hence why this is being called a 1-in-a-million catch by many.
I’ve been in contact with Casa Vieja about a birthday trip and hadn’t heard of Pacific Fins down the street. Might have to check this one out as well if they’re reeling in unicorns.