| Tetrapturus
audax
(Philippi,
1887) |
|
| Family: |
Istiophoridae
(Billfishes) |
 |
| Order: |
Perciformes
|
| Class: |
Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) |
| FishBase name: |
Striped marlin |
| Max. size: |
13.8 ft TL; max.weight: 968 lb |
| Environment: |
pelagic; oceanodromous; marine ; depth range - 330
ft |
| Climate: |
subtropical; 45°N - 45°S |
| Importance: |
fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes |
| Resilience: |
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 -
4.4 years |
Distribution:
Gazetteer
|
Indo-Pacific: tropical, subtropical and temperate
waters. Occasionally found on the Atlantic side of the Cape of Good Hope.
One stray individual was caught off Angola, West Africa. Highly migratory
species, Annex I of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea. Their distribution in the Pacific Ocean is unique among billfishes
and tunas in that it forms a horseshoe-shaped pattern from the northwest
Pacific through the eastern Pacific to the southwest Pacific.
In the Indian Ocean, fish are more densely distributted in equatorial
regions with higher concentrations off eastern Africa, in the western
Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and off northwestern Australia |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal
spines
(total): 0-0; Dorsal
soft
rays (total): 42-48; Anal
spines:
0-0; Anal
soft
rays: 18-24. Blue-black above and silvery white below, with about 15
rows of cobalt-coloured stripes; 1st dorsal fin dark blue; other fins dark
brown, sometimes with a tinge of dark blue; anal fin bases with a tinge of
silvery white. |
| Biology: |
Epipelagic and oceanic species, usually found
above the thermocline. Generally inhabit cooler water than either black
(Makaira indica) or blue marlin (M. mazara) Most
dominant and widely distributed of all billfishes. Their abundance
increases with distance from the continental shelf. Usually
seen close to shore only where deep drop-offs occur . Mostly
solitary, but form small schools by size during the spawning season. They are usually dispersed at considerably wide distances. Feed on
fishes, crustaceans and squids. Also caught with the harpoon. The flesh is
the best among billfishes for sashimi and sushi. Marketed mostly frozen,
sometimes fresh ; also smoked and frozen |
| Red List Status: |
Not in IUCN Red List |
| Dangerous: |
harmless |
