Marlin
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Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Istiophoridae
Genera: Istiophorus, Makaira, Tetrapturus

[Photo] Jump Marlin. Source: Flickr (www.flickr.com/photos/tgrayphoto/326629782/). Date: Taken on December 12, 2006. Author: tgrayphoto (www.flickr.com/photos/tgrayphoto/).

The marlin is a large game fish. It has an elongated body that in larger species can be in excess of 4 m (13 ft) long, a snout like a spear, and a long rigid dorsal fin which extends forwards to form a crest. The name is thought to derive from its notional resemblance to a sailor's marlinspike. Marlin are fast swimmers, occurring in all oceans and hunting small and large fish.

The larger species include the Atlantic blue marlin, Makaira nigricans, which have been reliably recorded in excess of 2 m (7 ft) in length and 120 kg (250 lb) in weight, and black marlin, Makaira indica, which have been reliably recorded in excess of 5 m in length and 670 kg (1,470 lb) in weight. Marlins are very fast and can swim 100 m (330 ft) in about 4 seconds (approximately 56 mph). They are popular sporting fish in certain tropical areas and are also commercially important as a food fish.

Marlin are rarely table fare. Most modern sport fishermen release marlin after unhooking. Some marlin that are top record setting fish are taken and weighed on shore. Those records are most often recorded in the IGFA World Record Game Fish books.

Species
- Atlantic sailfish, Istiophorus albicans
- Indo-Pacific sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus
- Black Marlin, Makaira indica
- Indo-Pacific Blue Marlin, Makaira mazara
- Atlantic Blue Marlin, Makaira nigricans
- Atlantic White Marlin, Tetrapturus albidus
- Japanese Spearfish, Tetrapturus angustirostris
- Barred Marlin, Tetrapturus audax
- Mediterranean Shortbill Spearfish, Tetrapturus belone
- Roundscale Spearfish, Tetrapturus georgei
- Longbill Spearfish, Tetrapturus pfluegeri

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlin

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