Rare white sailfish caught off Guatemala; 'One-in-a-million'

Pacific Fins Resort explained the last known catch-and-release of a white sailfish in Guatemala waters occurred in 2018.

A luxury fishing resort in Guatemala last week announced the extraordinary catch of a white Pacific sailfish.

“The Billfish Unicorn, one in a million, or an albino sailfish? Whatever you want to call it, it’s a sight you will never forget,” Pacific Fins Resort boasted via social media.

The strikingly rare sailfish, caught by Paul Renfro and his group aboard the 40-foot vessel Libertad, was described as leucistic.

(Leucism, unlike albinism, does not affect the pigmentation in an animal’s eyes.)

Pacific Fins Resort concluded its post:

“Guatemala is known as the sailfish capital of the world, but with the thousands of sails released each year, it’s a rare catch for sure. The last time this happened was in 2018, when another leucistic sailfish was caught in our waters.”

The secondary sailfish image, also courtesy of Pacific Fins Resort, is for the sake of comparison.