San Juan Capistrano has its sparrows, but Catalina has the exotic flying fish that populate its waters from around late May to early September each year.
The unusual fish species is made of living gliders, able to take off into the wind and soar for up to 45 seconds or several hundred yards on the lift from their outstretched pectoral fins to escape being eaten by larger fish.
San Juan Capistrano has its sparrows, but Catalina has the exotic flying fish that populate its waters from around late May to early September each year.
The unusual fish species is made of living gliders, able to take off into the wind and soar for up to 45 seconds or several hundred yards on the lift from their outstretched pectoral fins to escape being eaten by larger fish.
Flying fish are part of Catalina’s allure and they are celebrated each year with the Island’s Flying Fish Festival. This year the festival is set for May 30 through June 1.
Flying fish have become part of Catalina’s culture. Bony as they are, a crunchy flying fish is the meal of choice for any number of big game species. Catalina’s majestic bluefin tuna, which inspired the founding of Avalon’s Tuna Club, used to be known as “Leaping Tuna” for their aerial acrobatics in chasing down a tasty flying fish meal.
There are many species of flying fish, of which the California version (Cypselurus californicus) is the largest. Large ones can reach 18 inches in length and weigh well over a pound. At night, they can often be induced to go airborne by sweeping a bright searchlight across near shore waters.
Early Tuna Club anglers in Catalina became particularly adept at catching flying fish at night, carefully rigging them with linen twine and a heavy Mustad hook, and then skipping the lifelike bait in front of a school of ravenous tuna. The tuna fish sandwiches that result would last for days.
However, flying fish do not appeal much to humans as a fish or a guest for even less than three days as they can have a very offensive, pungent odor. Still, most people find them amazing to marvel at in their environment and a hand-held inspection of them can lead one to think of the myths of fairy like creatures that actually do live among us, if mostly in the great blue sea.
Flying fish are found in warm tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific, Indian and the Atlantic oceans. Some of the largest flying fish can reach a length of 45 centimeters. On an average, their length measures up to 30 centimeters.
Facts about Flying Fish:
• The flying fish can be easily identified due to their pectoral fins and lopsided tails. The streamlined torpedo shape of the body helps them to gather underwater speed. This in turn gives them the required speed to break through the surface of the water. They swim very close to the surface of the water and their fins remain close to the body. Once they leave the water, they spread their fins to be able to glide. The flying fish are known to use their unusual ability to escape predators such as the swordfish, tunas and other kinds of species of fish.
• Along with their pectoral fins, the flying fish have unevenly forked tails. Most of them have enlarged pelvic fins as well, which are used for gliding. When the flying fish leave the water, they use the lower lobe of the tail to propel themselves forward. The flying fish can even flap their wings once they are in the air.
• Flying fish glide through the air at a speed of about 60 kilometers per hour. It can reach a height of over 4 feet and even glide long distances. The moment these flying fish reach back to the surface, it can flap its tail without actually returning to the water. The tail is dipped in the water every time to produce the thrust.
• The young flying fish look very different from the adults. They have a multicolored pattern with a large pair of flap like whiskers. These whiskers extend downward from the end of the lower jaw. The whiskers are at times longer than the fish itself. As the fish grows, these whiskers are known to disappear.
• The eyes of the flying fish are relatively larger than the other species. These are also flat in shape and this is what helps to improve the visual perception when it glides through the air.
• The diet of the flying fish consists of planktons and small crustaceans. These flying fish are attracted to light and this is what makes them an easy victim for most fishermen.
