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Blue
Marlin (Makaira
nigricans)
Description:
Color cobalt
blue on top shading to silvery white on bottom; upper jaw
elongate in form of spear; dorsal fin and pointed at front
end; pectoral fin and anal fin pointed; lateral line reticulated
(interwoven like a net), difficult to see large specimens;
no dark spots on dorsal fin; body covered with imbedded scales
ending in one or two sharp points.
Similar
fish: White
marlin, T. albidus (white has rounded dorsal
at front end, round tip of pectoral and anal fins, and spots
on the dorsal fin).
Where
found: Offshore,
a blue water fish.
Size:
Largest
of the Atlantic marlins, common to 11 feet, known to exceed
2,000 pounds.
Remarks:
All of
the trophy size are females; males do not exceed 300 pounds;
make tran-Atlantic migrations; spawning procedures unknown;
feeds on squid and pelagic fishes, including blackfin tuna
and frigate mackerel.
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