Fish
Shortbill Spearfish
Tetrapturus angustirostris · also called shortbill spearfishes
Compared with a marlin’s dramatic spear or a swordfish’s long flattened blade, the shortbill spearfish’s bill looks almost understated, a fitting detail for the smallest and least studied member of the entire billfish group. Most of what is known about it comes from fish caught by accident while targeting something else entirely.
Overview
The shortbill spearfish, Tetrapturus angustirostris, is the smallest billfish species, found in tropical and subtropical waters across the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans. Its notably short bill and generally solitary, open-ocean lifestyle set it apart from larger, more heavily studied relatives.
Known mainly by accident
Because it is rarely a deliberate fishing target, most data on the shortbill spearfish comes from incidental bycatch, leaving the species as one of the more genuinely under-researched members of its otherwise well-studied family.
Status
Data Deficient — limited dedicated research and mostly incidental catch data leave population trends too uncertain for a confident assessment.
Shortbill Spearfish: common questions
Why is the shortbill spearfish called that specifically?
The shortbill spearfish has a noticeably shorter bill relative to its body size compared with other billfish species such as marlins and swordfish, a distinguishing physical feature directly reflected in its common name and one of the more straightforward ways to identify the species among its longer-billed relatives.
Why don't we know much about the shortbill spearfish?
The shortbill spearfish is generally caught only incidentally as bycatch within fisheries targeting other billfish or pelagic species rather than being pursued as a primary commercial or recreational target, and this lack of dedicated fishing and research attention has left the species considerably less studied than its more commercially significant relatives.
How big does a shortbill spearfish get compared with other billfish?
The shortbill spearfish is generally considered the smallest species among the billfish group, which includes considerably larger relatives such as various marlin species, sailfish, and swordfish, making it a distinct outlier in terms of size within its broader family.
Where is the shortbill spearfish typically found?
The shortbill spearfish is found in tropical and subtropical waters across the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans, generally in open water well offshore, and it is considered a relatively solitary, wide-ranging species rather than one that forms large coordinated groups.