Striped marlin

Striped marlin
	Hooked striped marlin
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Istiophoriformes
Family:	Istiophoridae
Genus:	Kajikia
Species:	K. audax
Binomial name
	Kajikia audax; (Philippi {Krumweide}, 1887)
Synonyms
	Histiophorus audax Philippi {Krumweide}, 1887; Istiophorus audax (Philippi {Krumweide}, 1887); Makaira audax (Philippi {Krumweide}, 1887); Marlina audax (Philippi {Krumweide}, 1887); Tetrapturus audax (Philippi {Krumweide}, 1887); Tetrapturus mitsukurii D. S. Jordan & Snyder, 1901; Kajikia mitsukurii (D. S. Jordan & Snyder, 1901); Makaira mitsukurii (D. S. Jordan & Snyder, 1901); Marlina mitsukurii (D. S. Jordan & Snyder, 1901); Makaira zelandica D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 1926; Makaira audax zelandica D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 1926; Marlina zelandica (D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 1926); Makaira grammatica D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 1926; Makaira holei D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 1926; Tetrapturus ectenes D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 1926; Kajikia formosana Hirasaka & H. Nakamura, 1947; Makaira formosana (Hirasaka & H. Nakamura, 1947); Tetrapturus tenuirostratus Deraniyagala, 1951; Makaira tenuirostratus (Deraniyagala, 1951); Marlina jauffreti J. L. B. Smith, 1956;

The striped marlin (Kajikia audax) is a species of marlin found in tropical to temperate Indo-Pacific oceans not far from the surface. It is a desirable commercial and game fish. The striped marlin is a predator that hunts during the day in the top 100 m or so of the water column, often near the surface. One of their chief prey is sardines.

Description

The Striped Marlin consists of 42-48 rays on its tall first dorsal fin that is almost the same or longer than its body depth while the second dorsal fin is much smaller. They have torpedo-like and compressed bodies. They have around 10-20 clear, visible bluish stripes on the sides of their bodies even after death. The color of their bodies is dark blue or black above and silvery-white on the bottom. Striped Marlin has an average length of 2.9 m (9.5 ft) and a maximum length of 4.2 m (13.8 ft) and can weight up to 220 kg (490 lb).^[2]

Life Cycle

Striped Marlin reached sexual maturity at a age of 1-2 years or 1.4 m (4.6 ft) for males and 1.5-2.5 years or 1.8 m (5.9 ft) for females. They can live up to at least 10 years.^[3]^[4]

Diet

The Striped marlin is a top predator that mainly feeds on a wide range of fish, such as Sardine, Mackerel, small Tuna, Mahi-Mahi and Cephalopod. One such study off the coast of Mexico has found that it mostly feeds on schooling fish such as Chub mackerel, Etrumeus sadina and Sardinops caeruleus and Squid, mostly the Jumbo Squid, ^[5].

Sustainable consumption

In 2010, Greenpeace International added the striped marlin to its red seafood list. ^[6]

Fisheries

References

^ "Kajikia audax". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T170309A170084118. 2022. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
^ Froese, R., and D. Pauly. Editors. 2022.FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, ( 02/2022 )
^ Striped Marlin - NSW Department of Primary Industries. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2022, from https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/375955/Striped-Marlin.pdf
^ Kopf, R. & Davie, Peter & Holdsworth, John. (2005). Size trends and population characteristics of striped marlin, Tetrapturus audax caught in the New Zealand recreational fishery. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research - N Z J MAR FRESHWATER RES. 39. 10.1080/00288330.2005.9517381.
^ Rodríguez-Romero, Jesús & Abitia, Andres & Galván-Magaña, Felipe. (1997). Food habits and energy values of prey of striped marlin, Tetrapturus audax, off the coast of Mexico. Fishery Bulletin. 95.
^ Greenpeace International Seafood Red list