A marlin is a fish from the family Istiophoridae, which includes about 10 species. It has 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, marlins are fast swimmers, reaching speeds of about 80Â km/h (50Â mph).
The larger species include the Atlantic blue marlin, Makaira nigricans, which can reach 5Â m (16.4Â ft) in length and 818Â kg (1,803Â lb) in weight and the black marlin, Istiompax indica, which can reach in excess of 5Â m (16.4Â ft) in length and 670Â kg (1,480Â lb) in weight. They are popular sporting fish in tropical areas.
Classification
The marlins are perciform fish, most closely related to the swordfish and Scombridae.
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 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.
Frederick Forsyth's story The Emperor, in the collection No Comebacks, tells of a bank manager named Murgatroyd who catches a marlin and is acknowledged by the islanders of Mauritius as a master fisherman.
See also
- Marlin fishing
- Sailfish
References
Notes
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: 560. Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2011-05-19.Â
External links
- "'Ghost Fish' Revelation May Alter Marlin's Status" from National Public Radio
