Striped Marlin

Fascinating facts about the Striped Marlin

• A single female can release up to 120 million eggs across 4 to 41 spawning events in a summer.
• It has an average length of 2.9 m (9.5 ft), a maximum length of 4.2 m (13.8 ft), and can weigh up to 220 kg (490 lb).
• Researchers found the fish prefers waters where dissolved oxygen is between 4.5 and 5.5 mL/L and surface temperatures are between 20 °C and 28 °C (68 °F-82 °F).
• During daylight hours the marlin dives into deeper layers of the water column and returns to the surface at night, a pattern observed from Australia to Mexico.
• Commercial catches peaked at about 25,000 tonnes per year in the 1960s and have returned to roughly 7,500 tonnes annually in the early 2000s, similar to 1950s levels.

At a glance

About the Striped Marlin

The striped marlin (Kajikia audax) cuts through tropical and temperate seas with a torpedo-shaped silhouette, its dark blue or black dorsal side fading to a silvery-white ventral belly. Averaging 2.9 m (9.5 ft) and reaching up to 4.2 m (13.8 ft) and 220 kg (490 lb), it is instantly recognizable by 12–20 vivid bluish stripes that can shift to lavender when the fish is excited, a change driven by chromatophores. Its first dorsal fin, as tall as its body depth, bears 42–48 fin rays, while a much smaller second fin trails behind. This epipelagic predator roams the upper 100 m (330 ft) of the water column, hunting by day and migrating vertically to surface waters at night, a pattern documented off Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, California and Ecuador. The species favors waters with dissolved oxygen of 4.5–5.5 mL/L and sea-surface temperatures of 20–28 °C (68–82 °F), especially where chlorophyll a is high, indicating productive ecosystems that support its favorite prey, sardines, chub mackerel, Etrumeus sadina, Sardinops caeruleus, small tuna and jumbo squid. One surprising trait is the persistence of its striking stripes after death, a reminder of the vivid coloration that lives on in the ocean’s surface layers, drawing the eye of both scientists and sport anglers alike,

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