At Kona Fishing Charters, you will get to see and experience all sorts of amazing fish when you go fishing with us – from the Pacific Sailfish to the Mahi Mahi fish. We thought our readers might enjoy ten cool facts about each of these different Kona fish. Today’s blog article is dedicated to the Pacific Blue Marlin.
Ten Awesome Facts about the Pacific Blue Marlin:
- The Pacific Blue Marlin is part of the Istiophoridae family which includes over 10 species of fish. These 10 different species of fish are mostly made up of varieties of sailfish and marlin species (blue and white marlin). They are also considered a continental shelf species.
- The Blue Marlin’s Hawaiian name is A`u but the Blue Marlin is called kajiki in the Hawaiian marketplace. So if you see kajiki at a fish market when you visit us in Hawaii, now you know what you’ll be buying – a beautiful Blue Marlin.
- They can reach up to a weight of 1800 pounds (or up to 1985 pounds according to National Geographic) although that’s fairly rare and female Blue Marlins are more likely to reach this weight than male Blue Marlins, as females typically are 3 to 4 times larger than males of the species. Females also can reach lengths of 14 feet. However, many Blue Marlin don’t reach even 1000 pounds – only a fraction reach this mark. Despite this, Blue Marlin are still very large though, the average weight ranges from 200 to 400 pounds. They also are usually about 11 feet long. Because of these large weights and long heights, the blue marlin is considered the largest game billfish.
- In the Pacific, Blue Marlin are found as north as Japan and as south as New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty. In Japan, Blue Marlin are considered a delicious delicacy and are served, raw, as sashimi and they have been fishing blue marlin for centuries. However, so have Hawaiians, as the Blue Marlin has been making its trek across the oceans for a very long time.
- They not only live in the Pacific, but the Blue Marlin can travel to the Atlantic and Indian Ocean. They’ve been found as south as Cape Town, South Africa and Perth, Australia. The Blue Marlin is a migratory wanderer, it likes traveling from ocean to ocean following the current, it especially likes warm oceans, but you happen to be going fishing at one of the best spots that the Blue Marlin wanders to!
- Blue Marlins prefer the higher temperatures which is why you’ll see them swimming in the surface rather than deep in the sea. They are carnivores, who feed on mackerel and tuna (especially yellowfin tuna), but will abandon the warm surface water to feed on squid, who are deep below the the surface water.
- Blue Marlin’s are fairly distinctive looking, although they do look similar to the black marlin. Blue Marlins are cobalt blue on top and silvery white below, with a pronounced, pointed dorsal fin and a long, lethal, spear-shaped upper jaw. The Blue Marlin uses its spear-shaped jaw to injure its prey, eventually catching it after inflicting enough injuries. Black marlin, on the other hand, have a shorter bill and a rounder (and lower) dorsal fin. Their pectoral fins are also more rigid than its counterparts.
- Blue Marlins rely on its eyesight to hunt, which is why the Blue Marlin hunts during the day (which means it is a diurnal animal). They can also reach speeds of 50 miles an hour making it easier for them to catch their prey… and avoid being prey themselves.
- In the novel, The Old Man and the Sea, written by Ernest Hemingway, the fish the old, Cuban fisherman is trying to catch is a Blue Marlin. He has a difficult time doing so, battling the fish for a large portion of the novel, and you’ll have to read (or Google if you’d rather just be spoiled) to find out if he succeeded in catching the fish.
- Blue Marlin are known to put up a fight when they’re caught, making the fishing experience fun and exciting, something you’ll experience with us at Kona Fishing Charters.
These are only some awesome facts about the Blue Marlin, there are even more cool facts about the Blue Marlin that you can look up on National Geographic. And, of course, we’ll tell you some more fun facts when you come out on the ocean with us at Kona Fishing Charters! There’s nothing like seeing the Blue Marlin for yourself, especially if you get to see it close up after you catch one!
Next time we’ll connect you to some awesome facts about the Blue Marlin’s close relative, the sailfish, which is another fish you’ll see when you fish with us at Kona Fishing Charters. Call us at (808) 960-1424 to book your fishing trip!