Scientists recognize four separate species of spearfish. Reaching up to 150 pounds, the Mediterranean spearfish (Tetrapturus belone) - named because its distribution is limited to the Mediterranean Sea - is the biggest of the four. The longbill spearfish (Tetrapturus pfluegeri) that inhabits the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea can also reach 100 pounds, though most never exceed 80. The shortbill spearfish (Tetrapturus angustirostris) inhabits the Indian and the Pacific Oceans, and at an average weight of 30 to 40 pounds, is the smallest of the four. The roundscale spearfish (Tetrapturus georgei) - considered the rarest of all billfish species - is distributed only from Sicily to the Straits of Gibraltar and the adjacent waters off southern Portugal. The roundscale grows to approximately 70 pounds. The IGFA classifies all four spearfish as the same species when considering world-record applications. Pacific anglers, particularly those fishing in Hawaii, feel this roundup approach places them at a definite disadvantage in the world-record arena, as their catches can't match up to those caught in the eastern Atlantic. IGFA president Mike Leech recognizes the distinction among spearfish species and says the agency will eventually separate Atlantic and Pacific spearfish records. "We're not opposed to it," Leech says. "We've just been concentrating on the more 'common man' species - that's been our emphasis the last five years or so. We'd rather add everyday types of fish rather than the rare exotic species right now."