The blue marlin is part of the billfish family Istiophoridae and is in the perch-like order Perciformes. The specific epithet nigricans is Latin for "becoming black". This name is derived from the Greek word machaira, meaning "a short sword or bent dagger", and the Latin machaera, "sword".
The blue marlin is placed in the genus Makaira. Some other historic English names for the blue marlin are Cuban black marlin, ocean gar, and ocean guard. Blue marlin are currently considered a threatened species by the IUCN due to overfishing, particularly in the international waters off the coast of Portugal where they migrate to breed in the June/July months. They are sought after as a highly prized game fish by anglers and are taken by commercial fishermen, both as a directed catch and as bycatch in major industrial tuna fisheries. Īdult blue marlin have few predators apart from killer whales, sharks (Shortfin Mako and Great Whites), and humans. Greater lengths have been claimed unofficially. The maximum published weight is 818 kg (1,803 lb) and length 5 m (16.4 ft). Females can grow up to four times the weight of males.
A bluewater fish that spends the majority of its life in the open sea far from land, the blue marlin preys on a wide variety of marine organisms, mostly near the surface, often using its bill to stun or injure its prey. It is the national fish of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and is featured on its coat of arms.īlue marlin are distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
The relatively high fat content of its meat makes it commercially valuable in certain markets. It uses its bill to stun, injure, or kill while knifing through a school of fish or other prey, then returns to eat the injured or stunned fish. The Atlantic blue marlin (hereafter, blue marlin) feeds on a wide variety of organisms near the surface. Some authorities still consider both species distinct. It is closely related to, and usually considered conspecific with, the Indo-Pacific blue marlin, then simply called blue marlin. The Atlantic blue marlin ( Makaira nigricans) is a species of marlin endemic to the Atlantic Ocean.
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