| Makaira
indica
(Cuvier,
1832) |
|
| Family: |
Istiophoridae
(Billfishes) |
 |
| Order: |
Perciformes
|
| Class: |
Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) |
| FishBase name: |
Black marlin |
| Max. size: |
15.8 ft FL ; max.weight: 1650 lb |
| Environment: |
pelagic; oceanodromous; marine ; depth range 0 -
3020 ft |
| Climate: |
subtropical; 15 - 30°C; 40°N - 45°S |
| Importance: |
fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes |
| Resilience: |
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 -
4.4 years |
Distribution:
Gazetteer
|
Indo-Pacific: tropical and subtropical waters,
occasionally entering temperate waters. Stray individuals migrate into the
Atlantic Ocean by way of the Cape of Good Hope, but the existence of
Atlantic breeding stocks is unlikely. Highly migratory species, Annex I of
the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea . |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal
spines
(total): 0-0; Dorsal
soft
rays (total): 39-50; Anal
spines:
0-0; Anal
soft
rays: 16-21. Dark blue above, silvery white below; sometimes with
light blue vertical stripes; 1st dorsal fin blackish to dark blue, other
fins dark brown with tinges of dark blue in some specimens. |
| Biology: |
Oceanic, usually found in surface waters above
the thermocline, often near shore close to land masses, islands and coral
reefs. Feed on fishes, squids, cuttlefishes, octopods, large decapod
crustaceans and mostly on small tunas when abundant . The flesh
is of good quality; marketed refrigerated or frozen and prepared as
sashimi in Japan . |
| Red List Status: |
Not in IUCN Red List |
| Dangerous: |
harmless |
