“The Most Loving Fish” – The Dolphinfish (Mahi-Mahi)! In *Life of Pi*, Pi had no choice but to stun it, bringing him to tears

Reporter Li Anjun / Taipei – Telephone interviews with Xiaoliuqiu and Orchid Island

What are the “most loving fish”? Actually, they appeared in Ang Lee’s movie *Life of Pi: The Imaginary Voyage*. When the starving Pi caught one and knocked it out with an axe, the originally vegetarian youth burst into tears. Xiaoliuqiu amateur fisherman Li Yili said: “The fish the youth caught was a dolphinfish.Yesterday, I also caught a male one. It struggled hard, and at the same time, I saw a female fish closely following and staying by its side without leaving. Unable to bear it, I decided to let it go.”

▲ The hooked one is a male dolphinfish. Fisher Li Yili said the female was swimming right beside it, but unfortunately, he had to fish and take photos, so he couldn’t capture the full scene. (Photo / Provided by Li Yili)

Liao Hongji, a writer and fisherman, also mentioned in his literary works: “The captain called me to haul up the fish hooked at the stern. Once the railing was in place and I had the rope in hand, I saw two fish (dolphinfish) leaping out of the water together. Moreover, their heads were touching, their bodies pressed close, almost as if they were one, fiercely thrashing on the surface. I rubbed my eyes, thinking my vision was playing tricks. Could it be that a single hook had caught both fish at once? Pulling them closer, I confirmed it was definitely two!”

▲ In the movie, Pi catches a dolphinfish, while another one, a tuna that also feeds on flying fish, jumps into the boat by itself.

“And I noticed that only one was hooked, while the other was completely free, just accompanying the hooked fish as it leaped. Pulling them even closer, I could see more clearly—the hooked one was a female, and the one accompanying it was a male. The old captain said,this kind of fish has deep feelings. The male takes care of the female, and when they spot food, the male will yield it to the female. At that moment, a thought echoed in my mind: Ah, all things have emotions.” Because males often give food to females first, fishermen are more likely to catch females than males.

Li Yili, a native of Xiaoliuqiu, caught a male dolphinfish on December 9th. “I was using artificial bait, and when I saw a beautiful dolphinfish get hooked, it wildly struggled, desperately trying to find hope for survival against all odds.The dolphinfish was originally going to be my trophy today, but seeing the scene of the male and female staying together through life and death, I ultimately released it back into the sea to live freely.” Dolphinfish are affectionate, Li Yili said, and in such moments, fishermen usually decide to “let it go.”

▲ “I may be ugly, but I’m very gentle to my wife!” The dolphinfish has a fearsome name but is actually quite a loving fish. (Photo / Provided by Liao Hongji)Photo provided by Liao Hongji）

Dolphinfish are incredibly powerful swimmers with great speed, and “flying fish” are their main prey. In the movie, numerous flying fish are seen spreading their wings and flying, and in reality, both tunas and dolphinfish chase after them. In the film, a tuna jumps into the boat on its own, while Pi personally catches a dolphinfish. Observant viewers might notice that after Pi catches the dolphinfish, its vibrant colors quickly fade. Liao Hongji described it:“Its beautiful hues and blue speckles vanish instantly once it leaves the ocean and life.”

Interestingly, aside from their explosive speed, and despite their lovely appearance, they have the fierce-sounding name “dolphinfish.” Another unique trait is that you can tell males and females apart just by looking at them. Liao Hongji said male dolphinfish have a protruding forehead like an axe, and their gaze is much fiercer than that of females. At this point, the song “I’m Ugly But I’m Gentle…” by Harlem Yu might start playing in your head again.

The dolphinfish being caught is a significant scene in *Life of Pi: The Imaginary Voyage*. Audiences have done a lot of analysis afterward, with various interpretations. Director Ang Lee welcomes everyone’s interpretations. After reading about the encounters and descriptions of the dolphinfish’s life-and-death struggle by Liao Hongji, Li Yili, and others, you might have different thoughts. It’s believed that Ang Lee must have done a lot of research on dolphinfish to depict them so accurately. If he had also filmed the “loving” scenes of dolphinfish, it might have given yet another feeling.


▲ When the flying fish season arrives, Tao elders like Mao Yong take out their plank boats to sea to catch flying fish, and of course, there’s also a chance to catch dolphinfish. (Photo / Reporter Li Anjun)

Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that Orchid Island is the “homeland of flying fish.” The Tao people believe flying fish are a gift from the gods. Every year from March to June is the catching season, and they also hold a Fish Summoning Festival. Local youth Lin Shilan said that actually, most young men now use motorboats for fishing to catch larger quantities, but the older generation deeply respects tradition and culture, and will definitely take out their plank boats to catch flying fish. Since dolphinfish mainly prey on flying fish, they naturally end up catching what the locals call the “men’s fish”—the dolphinfish.


▲ Flying fish have a pair of wings, and every summer, you can see these sea sprites soaring. (Photo / Provided by Liao Hongji)

One of the elders, Mao Yong, said he would definitely paddle his plank boat to fish during the flying fish season. That beautiful plank boat was also handmade by him. “There are very few men on the island who can still make plank boats these days.” Traditional elegance shines through in Mao Yong. Years ago, when he was interviewed, he was originally out to catch flying fish, but upon seeing a dolphinfish, he immediately dropped his paddle to battle it. Unfortunately, after a brief moment, in the blink of an eye, the dolphinfish got away. Back on shore, Mao Yong laughed and said, “The dolphinfish is really something else.”

Later, someone boldly asked: “If you want to catch a dolphinfish, is it okay to… you know, the night before?” Mao Yong laughed and said, “No way.” He added that if they worked hard all day and didn’t catch a dolphinfish, sometimes the elders would tease, “Did you do *that* the night before?”