Family: Istiophoridae (Billfishes)
Order: Perciformes (perch-likes)
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
FishBase name: Black marlin
Max. size: 465 cm FL (male/unsexed; Ref. 40637); max. published weight: 750.0 kg (Ref. 5503)
Environment: pelagic; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); marine ; depth range 0 - 915 m
Climate: subtropical; 15 - 30°C; 40°N - 45°S
Importance: fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
Distribution: Indo-Pacific: tropical and subtropical waters, occasionally entering temperate waters. Stray individuals migrate into the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Cape of Good Hope, but the existence of Atlantic breeding stocks is unlikely. Highly migratory species, Annex I of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea (Ref. 26139).
Biology: Oceanic, usually found in surface waters above the thermocline, often near shore close to land masses, islands and coral reefs. Feed on fishes, squids, cuttlefishes, octopods, large decapod crustaceans and mostly on small tunas when abundant (Ref. 9668). The flesh is of good quality; marketed refrigerated or frozen and prepared as sashimi in Japan (Ref. 9308). Also Ref. 9692.
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