Economic Importance
Marlin are often caught as bycatch in tuna longline fisheries. Marlin has commercial value throughout the world, with landings totalling 3,064 metric tons in 2000. Their meat has a high fat content. It is particularly valued in Japan for sashimi. In Hawaii, blue marlin meat is sometimes smoked and sold by roadside vendors.
Because of their relative rarity, beauty, and sporting qualities, marlin are considered one of the most prestigious catches a recreational fisherman can make. The IGFA (International Game Fish Association) all-tackle world record is 1,402 pounds 2 ounces (636 kg). The sportfishing pursuit of marlin and other billfish is a multi-million dollar industry that includes hundreds of companies and thousands of jobs for boat operators, boat builders, marinas, dealerships, and fishing tackle manufacturers and dealers. The most established marlin fisheries are found along the eastern seaboard and the Gulf Coast of the United States, the Bahamas and several other Caribbean islands (notably St Thomas and Puerto Rico), Venezuela, Brazil, and Bermuda.
Read more about this topic: Atlantic Blue Marlin
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