Black marlin have a place in fishing folklore all of their own, as do blue marlin, and they have both been immortalized by writers like Ernest Hemmingway and Zane Grey. Almost exclusively existing in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of both the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the black marlin is a highly migratory, pelagic species of fish that are most commonly found in deep waters, though they rarely swim deeper than a hundred feet, near bottom structures such as continental shelves and reefs. The black marlin’s immense size and strength make it a favored target among many big-game fishermen.

Black Marlins vs. Blue Marlins

Black marlins are frequently confused with blue marlin, especially when the fish are less than 100 pounds in weight. However the pectoral fin on a black marlin does not fold back when pushed by hand whereas the blues does. The bill on a large black also tends to be shorter and heavier than that of a blue marlin. Along with the distinguishing trait of their dorsal fin being proportionately the lowest of any billfish (it stands just 50 percent of the fish’s body height), the black marlin is the only marlin with non-retractable fins.

Physical Characteristics

In terms of color, the black marlin possesses a slate hue that turns into a silver belly. When excited, the black marlin has been known to show off light blue stripes as well. Some researchers have noted that a few black marlins obtain a silvery haze over their bodies. This caused some in the pacific to mistakenly label them “silver marlins”. An enormous fish when mature, black marlins can reach lengths of up to 15 feet and weigh in at well over 1000 pounds. Most prize-winning black marlin that are caught a female, however, as it is extremely rare for a male black marlin to weigh more than 300 pounds. A black marlin’s diet consists of dolphin, squid, octopuses, swordfish, and tuna. It has been proven through stomach analysis that these fish use their long, sharp bills to conquer and eat their prey.

Trolling for Black Marlin

As anyone who has ever caught a black marlin will attest, once you have hooked a black marlin on your line, you are in for a serious battle. Once on the line, black marlins have been known to picturesquely jump from the ocean before diving deep back down. They will fight even an experienced angler for hours on end. In order to get a black marlin on your hook, however, you must employ one of the tried and true methods fishermen have carefully mastered. A very common way to get a black marlin is to troll boldly colored lures as well as rigged baitfish behind boats. As with many big-game fish, live bait has also been proven to produce good results.

The Market for Black Marlin

Due to the nature of large scale commercial Black Marlin fishing, black marlins are in higher demand than ever because of the strain placed on fisheries around the world. In some places, it is now required by law that if you catch a black marlin, you must tag and release it. These laws have been put into place even though there has been no declaration by any governing agency that the species, including the Blue Marlin fishing, has become endangered. In the United States, you can find black marlin in the frozen food section of your local grocery store. In japan, this species is in high demand for their flourishing sushi markets. However, some countries have banned the black marlin from public consumption due to the higher volume of mercury they contain compared to other species.