Marlin
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| Marlin | ||||||||||
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 Striped marlin, Tetrapturus audax
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Marlin, Istiophoridae, is a member of a group of marine fish known as "billfish", and is closely linked to the freshwater trout. A marlin has an elongated body, a spear-like snout, and a long rigid dorsal fin, which extends forwards to form a crest. Its common name is thought to derive from its notional resemblance to a sailor's marlinspike.[1] Even more so than their close relatives the scombrids, marlin are known to be incredibly fast swimmers, reaching speeds of about 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph).[2][3]
The larger species include the Atlantic blue marlin, Makaira nigricans, which have been reliably recorded in excess of 2 metres (6.6 ft) in length and 120 kilograms (260 lb) in weight, and the Black marlin, Makaira indica, which have been reliably recorded in excess of 5 metres (16 ft) in length and 670 kilograms (1,500 lb) in weight. They are popular sporting fish in certain tropical areas.
Marlin are rarely table fare, appearing mostly in fine dining restaurants. Most modern sport fishermen release marlin after unhooking. However, the old fisherman in Ernest Hemingway's novella The Old Man and the Sea was storied to have caught an 18-foot marlin in order to sell its meat at market.
Some large marlin, which may be able to set a record, are taken and weighed on shore. These records are most often recorded in the IGFA World Record Game Fish books.
[edit] Classification
The marlins are perciform fish, most closely related to the swordfish and Scombridae.
Family Istiophoridae
- Genus Istiophorus
- Istiophorus albicans - Atlantic Sailfish
- Istiophorus platypterus - Indo-Pacific Sailfish
- Genus Makaira
- Makaira indica - Black Marlin
- Makaira mazara - Indo-Pacific Blue Marlin
- Makaira nigricans - Atlantic Blue Marlin
- Genus Tetrapturus
- Tetrapturus albidus - Atlantic White Marlin
- Tetrapturus angustirostris - Shortbill Spearfish
- Tetrapturus audax - Striped Marlin
- Tetrapturus belone - Mediterranean Spearfish
- Tetrapturus georgii - Roundscale Spearfish
- Tetrapturus pfluegeri - Longbill Spearfish
[edit] References
- ^ Douglas Harper (November 2001). "marlin". Online Etymological Dictionary. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=marlin.
- ^ Johnson, G.D. & Gill, A.C. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N.. ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 190–191. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
- ^ [1]
- "Istiophoridae". FishBase. Ed. Rainer Froese and Daniel Pauly. November 2005 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2005.
[edit] External links
- News article: Marlin spears fisherman as it leaps across boat
- 'Ghost Fish' Revelation May Alter Marlin's Status from National Public Radio
- Marlin Fishing Charters
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