Blue marlin (Indo-Pacific blue marlin)
Makaira nigricans
Valid name. Makaira mazara (Indo-Pacific blue marlin), used in MRS 1997, is now treated as a synonym of M. nigricans. Do not confuse with the black marlin, now Istiompax indica (formerly Makaira indica).
- English
- Blue marlin (Indo-Pacific blue marlin)
- Scientific
- Makaira nigricans
- Dhivehi
- ނޫމަސް ހިބަރުNoomas hibaru
- Maximum size
- Females up to about 4.3-5 m and over 600 kg; males much smaller
- Depth and habitat
- Open ocean, usually in the upper 200 m but diving deeper
- IUCN status
- VU · VulnerableVulnerable (VU), assessed 2021
Description
A very large billfish with a long rounded bill, a cobalt-blue back, silvery-white belly and pale blue vertical bars that light up when it is excited. Females grow far larger than males. It is a top oceanic predator, feeding on tunas, dolphinfish and squid, and travels long distances across ocean basins. Its numbers have fallen with longline fishing.
In the Maldives
Occasionally caught by Maldivian fishermen offshore and targeted in sport fishing. The featured photo is of an Atlantic fish; the species is now treated as one worldwide.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Makaira-nigricans.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ނޫމަސް_ހިބަރު
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Atlantic_blue_marlin.jpg
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives, Marine Research Section, Malé (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) (as Makaira mazara); Thaana from Dhivehi Wikipedia (fish articles derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition).