Marlin Fishing

Marlin fishing is considered by some game fishermen to be the pinnacle of offshore game fishing, due to the size and power of marlin and the relative rareness of this species. In the past it required considerable skill to capture and kill marlin. These days the way is eased by modern technology. A lot of resources are committed to the activity, particularly in the construction of private and charter billfishing boats to participate in the billfishing tournament circuit. These are expensive purpose-built offshore vessels with powerfully driven deep sea hulls. They are often built to luxury standards and equipped with many technologies to ease the life of the deep sea recreational fisherman, including outriggers, flying bridges and fighting chairs, and state of the art electronic aids, such as fishfinders and navigation electronics.

Billfishes consist of ten species: Atlantic blue marlin, Pacific blue marlin, black marlin, white marlin, striped marlin, Atlantic sailfish, Pacific sailfish, longbill spearfish, shortbill spearfish, and swordfish. The International Game Fish Association awards a recreational angler who catches all of these species a "Billfish Royal Slam".

The genetic classification of billfish is still the subject of research and debate. A new species was recognized recently, the roundscale spearfish, which was long confused with the nearly indistinguishable white marlin. Recent research suggests a surprising genetic relationships between seemingly unrelated species, such as blue marlin and sailfish, and the Atlantic-only white marlin and the Indo-Pacific striped marlin. Regardless of the scientific debate, there are enthusiasts who enjoy pursuing these fish with rod and reel.