marlin
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary:
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Mar·lin
n.
(Zoöl.) The American great marbled godwit (Limosa fedoa). Applied also to the red-breasted godwit (Limosa hæmatica).
2. [from marlin spike, the shape of its bill.]
Any of several marine billfishes of the genera Makaira and Tetrapturus, popular as game in sport fishing.
[PJC]
Hook-billed marlin, a curlew.
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Any of four species (genus Makaira, family Istiophoridae) of deep-blue to blue-green marine fish with a long body, a long dorsal fin, a rounded spear extending from the snout (which it uses to club the fish it feeds on), and usually pale vertical stripes. They are highly prized for sport and food. Species range in weight from about 100 lbs (45 kg) to more than 1,500 lbs (700 kg). The Indo-Pacific black marlin (M. nigicans) has a distinctive, stiff pectoral fin set at an angle.
For more information on marlin, visit Britannica.com.
Columbia Encyclopedia:
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marlin
marlin, common name for open-sea fish related to the sailfish and swordfish (family Istiophoridae) and prized by sportsmen. The best known is the blue marlin of the genus Makaira, found in the Gulf Stream as far north as Long Island. It may reach 1,000 lb (454 kg) in weight. The upper jaw of the marlin extends into a long spike with which it clubs the small fish on which it feeds. The striped marlin of the Pacific reaches a weight of 300 to 400 lb (135-180 kg); the paler white marlin of the Atlantic rarely exceeds 100 lb (45 kg). Marlins are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Osteichthyes, order Perciformes, family Istiophoridae.
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Marlin
For other uses, see Marlin (disambiguation).
| Marlin | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Atlantic blue marlin | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Istiophoridae |
| Genera | |
Marlin, family Istiophoridae, are fish 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.[1] Even more so than their close relatives the scombrids, marlin are incredibly fast swimmers, reaching speeds of about 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph).[2][3]
The larger species include the Atlantic blue marlin, Makaira nigricans, which can reach 6 metres (19.7 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 (16.4 ft) in length and 670 kilograms (1,500 lb) in weight. They are popular sporting fish in tropical areas. Many sporting fishers like to try their luck at catching a massive marlin.
Marlin are rarely table fare, appearing mostly in fine restaurants. Most modern sport fishermen release marlin after unhooking.
Very large marlin, which may set a record, are taken and weighed on shore. Records are most often recorded in the IGFA World Record Game Fish books. The current record has stood for some 20 years.
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Contents
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Classification
The marlins are perciform fish, most closely related to the swordfish and Scombridae.
Family Istiophoridae
- Genus Istiophorus
- Istiophorus albicans—Atlantic sailfish
- Istiophorus platypterus—Indo-Pacific sailfish
- Genus Makaira
- Makaira indica—Black marlin
- Makaira mazara—Indo-Pacific blue marlin
- Makaira nigricans—Atlantic blue marlin
- Genus Tetrapturus
- Tetrapturus albidus—Atlantic white marlin
- Tetrapturus angustirostris—Shortbill spearfish
- Tetrapturus audax—Striped marlin
- Tetrapturus belone—Mediterranean spearfish
- Tetrapturus georgii—Roundscale spearfish
- Tetrapturus pfluegen—Longbill spearfish
Timeline of genera
In literature
In the Nobel Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway's 1952 novel The Old Man and the Sea, the central character of the work is an aged Cuban fisherman who, after 84 days without success on the water, heads out to sea in order to break his run of bad luck. On the 85th day, Santiago, the old fisherman, hooks a resolute marlin; what follows is a great struggle between man, sea creature, and the elements.
See also
References
Notes
- ^ Douglas Harper (November 2001). "marlin". Online Etymological Dictionary. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=marlin.
- ^ Johnson, G.D. & Gill, A.C. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N.. ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 190–191. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
- ^ thetravelalmanac.com/lists/fish-speed.htm
Sources
- Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2005). "Istiophoridae" in FishBase. November 2005 version.
- Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology 364: p.560. http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class. Retrieved 2011-05-19.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Istiophoridae |
- "'Ghost Fish' Revelation May Alter Marlin's Status" from National Public Radio
- Marlin Fishing Charters
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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.
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