Download pc|mac

By: Garrett Lyons
First Block
May 2010
Classification
Classification cont.
Classification cont.
The Blue Marlin is found much throughout the
western Atlantic. These fish are found in
latitudes ranging from 45°N to 35°S.
One unique feature of a Blue Marlin is
the long snout that is like a sword.
They’re also unique because of how large
they can get. They can grow to be 2,000
lbs. and 14 feet long even though they
are one of the fastest fish in the ocean.
They can reach speeds up to 56 mph.
Blue Marlins live offshore in blue
oceanic waters. Usually located
in warm waters near the surface
above the thermocline. Marlins
are found far out, but
sometimes they are found near
the coast, such as, near the
Mississippi River in the Gulf of
Mexico.
Marlins are pelagic
animals. Meaning
they are found in
open ocean waters.
They live only in
saltwater.
Mackerels, tunas, dolphin
fishes, and squids have
been found in marlin
stomachs.
Marlins are not known to
feed at night. They can also
consume prey of fairly
large proportions.
White sharks, and shortfin
mako are predators of the
blue marlin.
•Sword like snout
•Small file-like teeth that line the
jaw and the roof of the mouth
•Cylindrical from anal fin forward
•Two anal fins
•Two dorsal fins present—First
dorsal fin is high and slopes
steeply. Second dorsal fin is small
•Pelvic fins are slender
•Dark blue shading to a silvery
White
Covered with elongated, thick
bony scales
•15 vertical rows of blue spots on
the side
•Marlins can reach up to 14 feet
and weigh up to one ton
This fish is known as “Choy’s Monster,” and
caught in 1970. Choy was the name of the
captain. It was weighed in Honolulu, Hawaii,
and weighed a total of 1805 lbs. This is the
largest Blue Marlin that has ever been caught
on rod and reel.
Spawning occurs from July through October in the North Atlantic.
Females can spawn four times during the reproductive season,
but males can spawn year round. Blue marlins lay between 7
million to 10 million eggs. The eggs are an opaque white or a
yellowish color. The eggs take approximately a week to hatch;
depending on the temperature of the water. The young then float
freely in the open waters. Marlins reach sexual maturity at two to
four years of age.
A. 12.6 mm
B. 21.0 mm
C. 22.1 mm
(Blue Marlin Larvae)
Females grow larger than males.
Females live 27 years while males
can only live up to 18 years.
A multi-million dollar industry has
evolved from this “rare event”
species.
Marlin is served raw in Japan
known as sashimi.
The blue marlin is not a threatened
species currently according to the
World Conservation Union. But this
fish has been under intense fishing
pressure in recent years due to longline fishing. The Cubans and Japanese
harvest over a thousand tons of marlin
each year from the Caribbean alone to
eat and market off. These factors
could easily lead this fish to become
threatened.