When you accidentally catch a Marlin while fishing for Tuna

4 years ago
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While working on shark conservation, these biologists needed to catch them to put a tracker in them that would allow the researchers to monitor them for up to ten years. But in order to catch a shark, you need a good bait, so they were trying to catch a tuna for it. So just imagine their surprise when a marlin jumps out of the water instead!! It was still a young one, but it was much bigger, heavier, and stronger than a tuna! Catching a marlin was never the intention, so they tried to bring it to the boat to set it free, but after an hour trying, the marlin bested them and cut the line itself. What an experience!

Marlins have elongated bodies, a rigid and long dorsal fin that extends forward forming a crest, and a spear-like bill. Its name is believed to have come from its sailor's marlinspike look. Wanderers of the oceans, they can be found worldwide, near the surface of the sea, feeding mostly on other fishes. They use their long spears to slash at schooling fish and stun their prey; rarely actually spearing.

They are consumed as food and are highly prized by sport fishermen. Marlin fishing, also known as billfishing, is considered by some game fishermen to be a pinnacle of offshore game fishing, due to their size and power, their astonishing speed bursts, and relative rareness.

There are five species of Marlin: the Atlantic Blue Marlin (Makaira nigricans; the Indo-Pacific Blue Marlin (Makaira mazara); the Black Marlin (Istiompax indica); the Striped Marlin (Kajikia audax); and the White Marlin (Kajikia albida). The marlin family (Istiophoridae) also includes the Atlantic Sailfish (Istiophorus albicans), the Indo-Pacific Sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus), the Shortbill Spearfish (Tetrapturus angustirostris), the Roundscale Spearfish (Tetrapturus georgii), the Mediterranean Spearfish (Tetrapturus belone), and the Longbill Spearfish (Tetrapturus pfluegeri), all with the same general body shape of the marlins.

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