As viewers can see, being a little fish in a big ocean can make the struggle for survival a daunting challenge indeed. But being a big fish does not necessarily make it easy to catch the littler fish (do you see one fish being caught in the accompanying video?) The compelling footage, revealing a prolonged assault by sailfish on a tiny school of bait fish, was captured off Isla Mujeres in Mexico aboard the yacht Piracy by Shearline Boatworks. Most likely, the bait ball had been whittled down considerably during this dynamic feeding event. (Notice that some of the sailfish are less aggressive than others.)

The North Carolina boat-building company apparently will produce a longer film version showcasing this “bait-balling” phenomenon. It’s due to be released in April, and we’ll be glad to share the finished product.