Atlantic blue marlin
The Atlantic blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) is a species of marlin that lives in the Atlantic Ocean. It is closely related to, and usually considered the same as, the Indo-Pacific blue marlin, then simply called blue marlin. Some authorities consider both species different.
| Atlantic blue marlin | |
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| Male | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Istiophoriformes |
| Family: | Istiophoridae |
| Genus: | Makaira |
| Species: | M. nigricans
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| Binomial name | |
| Makaira nigricans Lacépède, 1802
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| The range of the Atlantic blue marlin | |
| Synonyms | |
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See below | |
The Atlantic blue marlin (blue marlin) feeds on a wide variety of animals near the surface. It uses its bill to stun, injure, or kill while moving through a school of fish or other prey, then returns to eat the injured or stunned fish. Marlin is a popular game fish. The high fat content of its meat makes it commercially valuable in certain markets as food. It is the national fish of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and is featured on its coat of arms.
Blue marlin are distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. A bluewater fish that spends the majority of its life in the open sea far from land,[2]
They are sought after as a highly prized game fish by anglers and are also caught by commercial fishermen, both as a directed catch and as bycatch in major industrial tuna fisheries. Blue marlin are currently considered a threatened species by the IUCN due to overfishing,[1] particularly in the international waters off the coast of Portugal where they migrate to breed in the June/July months.[source?] Some other historic English names for the blue marlin are Cuban black marlin, ocean gar, and ocean guard.[3]
Atlantic Blue Marlin Media
Intact fish skeleton at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
An 8-oz (230-g) marlin steak
Ernest Hemingway with caught blue marlin
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Collette, B.; Acero, A.; Amorim, A.F.; Boustany, A.; Canales Ramirez, C.; Cardenas, G.; Carpenter, K.E.; de Oliveira Leite Jr.; N.; Di Natale, A.; Die, D.; Fox, W.; Fredou, F.L.; Graves, J.; Guzman-Mora, A.; Viera Hazin, F.H.; Hinton, M.; Juan Jorda, M.; Minte Vera, C.; Miyabe, N.; Montano Cruz, R.; Nelson, R.; Oxenford, H.; Restrepo, V.; Salas, E.; Schaefer, K.; Schratwieser, J.; Serra, R.; Sun, C.; Teixeira Lessa, R.P.; Pires Ferreira Travassos, P.E.; Uozumi, Y.; Yanez, E. (2011). "Makaira nigricans". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2011: e.T170314A6743776. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T170314A6743776.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ↑ Blue Marlin, National Geographic, retrieved 11 November 2008.
- ↑ Atlantic Blue Marlin, Florida Museum of Natural History, archived from the original on 26 January 2009, retrieved 29 January 2009