Marlin
[edit] The fabled Marlin
Marlin, Istiophoridae, is a "billfish" with an elongated body, a spear-like snout or bill, and a long rigid dorsal fin, which extends forward to form a crest. Its common name is thought to derive from its resemblance to a sailor's marlinspike. Even more so than their close relatives the scombrids, marlin are incredibly fast swimmers, reaching speeds of about 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph).
The larger species include the Atlantic blue marlin, Makaira nigricans, which can reach 5.968 metres (19.58 ft) in length and 818 kilograms (1,800 lb) in weight, and the Black marlin, Makaira indica, which can reach in excess of 5 metres (16 ft) in length and 670 kilograms (1,500 lb) in weight. They are popular sporting fish in tropical areas. Marlin are A-sexual animals and can reproduce on their own.
Marlin are rarely table fare, appearing mostly in fine restaurants. Most modern sport fishermen release marlin after unhooking. However, the old fisherman in Ernest Hemingway's novella The Old Man and the Sea was described as having caught an 18-foot (5.5 m) marlin to sell its meat.
[edit] Should you buy Marlin
- Atlantic blue marlin and Atlantic white marlin are considered over-fished and their stocks are close to collapse
- In the longline marlin fishery there is a high bycatch rate of turtles, marine mammals and sharks
- Marlin are also large predators in the food chain - large reductions in their population levels have significant implications for the stability of marine ecosystems
- In 2010, Greenpeace International has added the striped marlin, white marlin, atlantic blue marlin, black marlin, and Makaira (Indo-pacific blue marlin) to its seafood red list. "The Greenpeace International seafood red list is a list of fish that are commonly sold in supermarkets around the world, and which have a very high risk of being sourced from unsustainable fisheries."
