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Related Keywords
- Actinopterygii
- Animal
- Atlantic blue marlin
- Billfish
- Biological classification
- Black marlin
- Chordata
- Common name
- Dorsal fin
- Ernest Hemingway
- Indonesia
- International Game Fish Association
- Istiophorus
- Istiophorus albicans
- Istiophorus platypterus
- Jimbaran
- Makaira
- Makaira indica
- Makaira nigricans
- Marlin fishing
- Marlinspike
- Perciformes
- Scombridae
- Snout
- Spear
- Sport fishermen
- Sport fishing
- Striped marlin
- Swordfish
- Tetrapturus
- Tetrapturus albidus
- Tetrapturus angustirostris
- Tetrapturus audax
- Tetrapturus georgii
- The Old Man and the Sea
- White marlin
Marlin
Images : Marlin
General Description
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. 1 Even more so than their close relatives the scombrids, marlin are incredibly fast swimmers, reaching speeds of about 110 160 kilometres per hour 68 mph . 2
The larger species include the Atlantic blue marlin, Makaira nigricans, which can reach 5.968 160 metres 19.58 ft in length and 818 160 kilograms 1,800 lb in weight, and the Black marlin, Makaira indica, which can reach in excess of 5 160 metres 16 ft in length and 670 160 kilograms 1,500 lb in weight. They are popular sporting fish in tropical areas.
Marlin are rarely table fare, appearing mostly in fine restaurants. Most modern sport fishermen release marlin after unhooking. However, the 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.
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.

