Journal articles: 'Billfish'

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Setyadji, Bram, Jumariadi Jumariadi, and Budi Nugraha. "CATCH ESTIMATION AND SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF BILLFISHES LANDED IN PORT OF BENOA, BALI." Indonesian Fisheries Research Journal 18, no. 1 (June 30, 2012): 35. http://dx.doi.org/10.15578/ifrj.18.1.2012.35-40.

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Billfishes are generally considered as by-product in tuna long line fisheries that have high economic value in the market. By far, the information about Indian Ocean billfish biology and fisheries especially in Indonesia is very limited. This research aimed to elucidate the estimation of production and size distribution of billfishes landed in port of Benoa during 2010 (February – December) through daily observation at the processing plants. The result showed that the landings dominated by Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) 54.9%, Blue marlin (Makaira mazara) 17.8% and Black marlin (Makaira indica) 13.0% respectively, followed by small amount of striped marlin (Tetrapturus audax), sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus), and shortbil spearfish (Tetrapturus Angustirostris). Generally the individual size of billfishes range between 68 and 206 cm (PFL), and showing negative allometric pattern except on swordfish that was isometric. Most of the billfish landed haven’t reached their first sexual maturity.

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Dalziel, Anne C., Shannon E. Moore, and Christopher D. Moyes. "Mitochondrial enzyme content in the muscles of high-performance fish: evolution and variation among fiber types." American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 288, no. 1 (January 2005): R163—R172. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00152.2004.

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Muscle mitochondrial content varies widely among fiber types and species. We investigated the origins of variation in the activity of the mitochondrial enzyme citrate synthase (CS), an index of mitochondrial abundance, among fiber types and species of high-performance fish (tunas and billfishes). CS activities varied up to 30-fold among muscles: lowest in billfish white muscle and highest in billfish heater organ. Among species, CS activities of red, white, and cardiac muscles of three tuna species were twofold greater than the homologous muscles of two billfish species. Because comparisons of CS amino acid sequences deduced from a combination of PCR methods argue against clade-specific differences in catalytic properties, CS activity reflects CS content among these five species. To assess the bases of these differences in CS activity, we looked at the relationship between CS activity (U/g muscle), nuclear content (DNA/g muscle), and CS transcript levels (CS mRNA/g RNA). Muscle CS activity differed by 10- to 30-fold when expressed per gram of muscle but only threefold when expressed per milligram of DNA. Thus it is nuclear DNA content, not fiber-type differences, in CS gene expression that may be the main determinant of CS activity in muscle. Conversely, evolutionary (tunas vs. billfishes) differences in CS arise from differences in posttranscriptional regulation, based on relationships between CS enzyme levels and CS mRNA assessed by quantitative competitive RT-PCR. These data argue that fiber-type differences can arise without major differences in fiber-type-specific regulation of the CS gene, whereas evolutionary differences may be largely due to posttranscriptional regulation.

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Holland, Kim N. "A perspective on billfish biological research and recommendations for the future." Marine and Freshwater Research 54, no. 4 (2003): 343. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf02072.

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A review of papers published on billfish biological research since the 1988 Billfish Symposium highlights the important role these symposia play in disseminating billfish research results and also shows that progress since 1988 has been slow, especially when compared with tuna and other pelagic fishes. One reason for the disparity is that marlin have not yet been successfully held in captivity. Progress has been made in elucidating the trophic biology of billfish and these data are helping to build models of pelagic ecosystem dynamics. The deployment of several types of electronic tags has expedited advances in understanding the short-term movements and depth distribution of billfish, but long-term tracks remain elusive. In part, this may be because insufficient effort has been directed at developing methods for restraining marlin for tag attachment or implantation. Light-based geolocation techniques show great promise for elucidating billfish movements, but appropriate scientific rigour must be applied to the publication of these data. Several suggestions for advancing billfish research are presented.

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Pine III, William E., Steven J. D. Martell, Olaf P. Jensen, Carl J. Walters, and James F. Kitchell. "Catch-and-release and size limit regulations for blue, white, and striped marlin: the role of postrelease survival in effective policy design." Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 65, no. 5 (May 1, 2008): 975–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f08-020.

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Catch-and-release fishing as a management and conservation tool for billfish (family Istiophoridae) is practiced in many recreational fisheries, and mandatory release of billfish has been implemented for some commercial fisheries. Inherent in these approaches is the observation that survival of released fish is greater than those that are landed. Recent studies using pop-up satellite tags have begun to quantify postrelease survival rates for billfish, yet the efficacy of management measures that require some or all billfish to be released have not been evaluated. Using an age- and size-structured population model that accounts for individual variability in growth, we simulated the effects of postrelease mortality on yield, risk of recruitment overfishing, efficiency (i.e., ratio of harvest to postrelease mortality), and probability of catching trophy-sized individuals for three marlin species. Regulations such as size limits, catch-and-release, and mandatory release are likely to provide some benefit to billfish populations, but our results show that the effectiveness of these strategies is reduced when release survival is less than 100%. The management approaches most likely to benefit billfish populations are ones that focus on maximizing postrelease survival in the recreational fishery and minimize the billfish catch in commercial fisheries.

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Uozumi, Yuji. "Historical perspective of global billfish stock assessment." Marine and Freshwater Research 54, no. 4 (2003): 555. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf01251.

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In spite of the substantial increase in information on billfish over the last decade, especially in the landing and catch per unit effort data, statistics for some of the commercial and recreational fisheries, basic biological information on billfish such as on growth, maturation, catch at age, and sex ratio by size, is still insufficient for the application of more data-demanding models. A family of production models is still the major tool for the stock assessment of billfish. Although there are significant increases in information on catch per unit effort, it is still hard to obtain solutions from these models in many cases without putting subjective constrains on the model parameters. In addition to the uncertainty in catch information, major uncertainty in the results of stock assessments comes from the difficulties in the realistic estimation of effective fishing effort for each fishery harvesting billfish. Those difficulties arise mainly from operational changes in the fishing and partial coverage of geographical distribution of billfish by the fisheries. It is very hard to overcome these problems only by improvement of the fishery-dependent statistics. Additional information on habitat preferences of billfish and the vertical distribution of longline gears, facilitated by the newly developed equipment such as pop-up archival tags and small time-depth recorders, is very useful to evaluate gear efficiency and stock availability to fishing gear. The assessment of billfish will be improved by the habitat-based standardization models utilizing these additional data..

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Ditton, Robert B., and John R. Stoll. "Social and economic perspective on recreational billfish fisheries." Marine and Freshwater Research 54, no. 4 (2003): 545. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf01279.

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At the Second International Billfish Symposium in Kona, it was reported that little was known about the social and economic aspects of recreational billfish fisheries. There was plenty of background, some good questions, but few answers. There had been little history of social science involvement in fisheries management at the time and even less in billfish fisheries. Whether authorized or not, fishery management decisions worldwide are going to be made on the basis of ‘best available’ social and economic understanding. Unfortunately, the values held by many in the billfish angler community are not likelyto be well represented in the mix for various reasons. Research in the USA and in Latin America over the past 13 years hasprovided an understanding of the billfish angler constituency, its commitment to catch and release and support for resource conservation, its local and regional impacts on tourism economies, and its willingness-to-pay above andbeyond trip costs (a measure of user value) in the US Atlantic, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and Mexico Pacific. Although knowledge of the recreational billfish fishery has improved, comparatively little is known about the social and economic benefits associatedwith commercial (direct and bycatch) billfish fisheries. With little more than dockside prices available in many localities, it is difficult to know their value in comparison with recreational fisheries and the possible trade-offs associated with various management measures. In addition to describing what is still not known, this paper will identify a future research agenda in this area.

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Fritsches, Kerstin A., Julian C. Partridge, John D. Pettigrew, and N. Justin Marshall. "Colour vision in billfish." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences 355, no. 1401 (September 29, 2000): 1253–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2000.0678.

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Members of the billfish family are highly visual predatory teleosts inhabiting the open ocean. Little is known about their visual abilities in detail, but past studies have indicated that these fishes were likely to be monochromats. This study, however, presents evidence of two anatomically distinct cone types in billfish. The cells are arranged in a regular mosaic pattern of single and twin cones as in many fishes, and this arrangement suggests that the different cone types also show different spectral sensitivity, which is the basis for colour vision. First measurements using microspectrophotometry (MSP) revealed a peak absorption of the rod pigment at 484 nm, indicating that MSP, despite technical difficulties, will be a decisive tool in proving colour vision in these offshore fishes. When hunting, billfish such as the sailfish flash bright blue bars on their sides. This colour reflects largely in ultraviolet (UV) light at 350 nm as revealed by spectrophotometric measurements. Billfish lenses block light of wavelengths below 400 nm, presumably rendering the animal blind to the UV component of its own body colour. Interestingly, at least two prey species of billfish have lenses transmitting light in the UV waveband and are therefore likely to perceive a large fraction of the UV peak found in the blue bar of the sailfish. The possible biological significance of this finding is discussed.

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Rick, Torben, Virginia L. Harvey, and Michael Buckley. "Collagen fingerprinting and the Chumash billfish fishery, Santa Barbara Channel, California, USA." Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 11, no. 12 (November 21, 2019): 6639–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12520-019-00930-4.

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AbstractBillfish from the families Xiphiidae (swordfish) and Istiophoridae (marlins and sailfish) are large, often pelagic fishes that are highly migratory. Although some billfish have been the target of global commercial and sport fisheries for decades, prehistoric billfish foraging is relatively rare, but includes systematic swordfish (Xiphias gladius) and/or striped marlin (Kajikia audax) exploitation in the Santa Barbara Channel region of California, the Gulf of Maine, and the northern coast of Chile. While whole vertebrae, rostra, and other elements can often be identified to species, fragments of these, or other non-diagnostic elements such as fin ray spines, as well as modified bones, are difficult to determine to species-level beyond general identification as billfish or “large fish.” We performed collagen fingerprinting on modern (n = 17) and archaeological (n = 30) billfish and large tuna (Scombridae) remains from museum collections and Chumash archaeological sites in California’s Santa Barbara Channel region to test this method for determining the species of fragmentary remains. These data demonstrate that collagen fingerprinting can distinguish between the families Istiophoridae, Xiphiidae, and Scombridae, although distinguishing between species within Istiophoridae needs additional research. All but one of our archaeological specimens are from swordfish, with just one striped marlin, suggesting that the Chumash were likely encountering or targeting swordfish more frequently than other billfish species. Our study demonstrates that collagen fingerprinting is an important technique for documenting ancient billfish and other fisheries around the world.

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9

Pepperell, Julian G. "Foreword to 'Billfish Special Issue'." Marine and Freshwater Research 54, no. 4 (2003): v. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mfv54n4_fo.

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Musyl, Michael K., Christopher D. Moyes, Richard W. Brill, Bruno L. Mourato, Andrew West, Lianne M. McNaughton, Wei-Chuan Chiang, and Chi-Lu Sun. "Postrelease mortality in istiophorid billfish." Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 72, no. 4 (April 2015): 538–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2014-0323.

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Meta-analysis (inverse-variance, random-effects model) involving 46 studies was used to estimate the effect size of postrelease mortality (Fr) in six istiophorid billfish species (black marlin (Istiompax indica), blue marlin (Makaira nigricans), longbill spearfish (Tetrapturus pfluegeri), sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus), striped marlin (Kajikia audax), and white marlin (Kajikia albida)) following release from recreational, longline, and harpoon fishing gears. The studies involved 400 reporting pop-up satellite archival tags and 64 reporting acoustic (ultrasonic) tags. Despite fish being captured, tagged, and released under widely disparate conditions, locations, and gear types, Fr was homogeneous among species. Variability in Fr was principally due to random sampling error within studies with no evident patterns. Fifteen studies (33% of tags) indicated no mortality, and the overall summary effect size for Fr was 13.5% (95% CI: 10.3%–17.6%). Since the random-effects model decomposed to a fixed-effect model when the between-studies variance T2 = 0.00, results were confirmed using exact nonparametric inferential tests and sensitivity analyses. Our results support earlier findings in the Atlantic and substantiate the majority of istiophorid billfish survive when released from recreational and longline fishing gear, clearly implying catch-and-release as a viable management option that permits fishing activity while protecting parental biomass and the fishery.

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11

Gulland, John. "The second international billfish symposium." Marine Policy 13, no. 1 (January 1989): 73–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0308-597x(89)90044-4.

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12

Peel, Ellen, Russell Nelson, and C. Phillip Goodyear. "Managing Atlantic marlin as bycatch under ICCAT. The fork in the road: recovery or collapse." Marine and Freshwater Research 54, no. 4 (2003): 575. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf01266.

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Atlantic billfish (marlin, sailfish and spearfish) are managed under the jurisdiction of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). Because they are not commonly a target species, most fishing mortality is generated as a function of bycatch in various commercial fisheries. Billfish are very important species for recreational fisheries. The record indicates that ICCAT has placed its greatest emphasis on managing target fish to maximize their catch for ‘food purposes’ and has not placed the same level of emphasis on maximizing catch for ‘other purposes’, such as for the benefit of recreational fisheries.Stock assessments indicate Atlantic marlin are severely overexploited, with the rates of decline showing no signs of slowing. The primary source of billfish mortality is as bycatch in pelagic longline fisheries for tuna and swordfish. Simultaneous fishing mortality rates that will produce maximum sustainable yield (MSY) for at least one targeted tuna species is near the extinction rate for blue marlin. Failure to significantly reduce fishing mortality on marlin by restraining effort on target species has led to the collapse of both blue and white marlin stocks and, if continued indefinitely, may lead to extinction of either species. Although ICCAT's charter does not prioritize management between different types of fisheries, commercial or recreational, or among different species of fish within its authority, the de facto result of ICCAT's actions to date has relegated billfish to the role of bycatch species. The needs of the directed recreational billfish industry have been largely ignored.In the absence of responsible action by ICCAT to reduce fishing mortality on marlin, those concerned with the conservation of billfish will be forced to seek alternative conservation and management assistance through The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and other protected species options. Compatible management solutions now must be identified and implemented by ICCAT if diverse fishing interests are to coexist and the stocks are to return to MSY. Time and area closures and live releases, coupled with some restraints on targeted effort, may offer a solution most acceptable to all fishing interests.

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Rochman, Fathur, Abram Barata, and Budi Nugraha. "FISHING GROUND, CACTH COMPOSITION, HOOK RATE AND LENGTH DISTRIBUTION OF BILLFISHES CAUGHT BY TUNA LONG LINE IN INDIAN OCEAN." Indonesian Fisheries Research Journal 19, no. 2 (December 31, 2013): 85. http://dx.doi.org/10.15578/ifrj.19.2.2013.85-97.

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Billfishes area by cacth of tuna long line vessels in Indian Ocean. Billfish are consist of swordfish Xiphias gladius, black marlin Makaira indica, indo facific blue marlin Makaira mazara, stripe marlin Tetrapturus audax, indo facific sailfish Istiophorus platypterus and shortbill spearfish Tetrapturus angustirostris. Besides that, billfishes also have important economic value compared with tuna as an exsported species such as swordfish and marlin. To optimize the catch of billfishes in Indian Ocean, data and information of potential fishing ground, size and catch composition of this species are needed. The billfishes cacth composition collected in 2011 were dominated by 45% swordfish, 20% black marlin, 19% blue marlin,9% short bill spearfish, 6% sailfish and 1%stripe marlin. The billfishes size range which were caught between 60 - 280 cm LJFL (Lower Jaw Fork Length). The sword fish average length was 150 cm, blue marlin 197 cm, black Marlin 189 cm, sailfish 150cm ,short bill spearfish 144 cm and stripe marlin159 cm. From this observation, it was found that most of billfishes caught were in mature.

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Restrepo, Victor, Eric D. Prince, Gerry P. Scott, and Yuji Uozumi. "ICCAT stock assessments of Atlantic billfish." Marine and Freshwater Research 54, no. 4 (2003): 361. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf02057.

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This paper presents a historical overview of the assessments of the Atlantic stocks of blue marlin (Makaira nigricans), white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus) and sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) that have been conducted by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas between 1977 and 2000. Details are presented on the data sets used and the models applied, noting the strengths and weaknesses of the assessments. The major causes of uncertainty in the current perception of the status of the stocks are related to some of the data used and to their interpretation, especially historical trends in catch per unit effort. In particular, there are uncertainties about historical catch data, including discards, and about the degree to which longline fishing effort overlaps with billfish habitat. The paper concludes with an account of the efforts that should be made to reduce these uncertainties.

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Reygondeau, Gabriel, Olivier Maury, Gregory Beaugrand, Jean Marc Fromentin, Alain Fonteneau, and Philippe Cury. "Biogeography of tuna and billfish communities." Journal of Biogeography 39, no. 1 (August 11, 2011): 114–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02582.x.

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Holland, Stephen M., Robert B. Ditton, and Alan R. Graefe. "An Ecotourism Perspective on Billfish Fisheries." Journal of Sustainable Tourism 6, no. 2 (April 1998): 97–116. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09669589808667305.

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Whitelaw, Wade. "Recreational billfish catches and gamefishing facilities of Pacific Island nations in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean." Marine and Freshwater Research 54, no. 4 (2003): 463. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf01260.

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Gamefishing is a developing industry for many of the Pacific Island nations, with a number of countries encouraging the industry with tax relief and tourism promotion. This paper was prepared to provide a preliminary appraisal of gamefish facilities and recreational billfish catches of Pacific Island countries in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. The level of development of gamefishing varies among Pacific Island nations, with fishers of some countries only carrying out subsistence fishing (including billfish), whereas others have a well-developed gamefishing infrastructure. The gamefish facilities of each country are described, including charter operations, number of private vessels and berthing facilities. Estimates of recreationally caught billfish are also provided for each Pacific Island nation. These estimates have been facilitated by the development of a gamefish catch and effort database by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Presently, an estimated 1050 metric tonnes of marlin are caught by gamefishing in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, which compares with an estimate of around 18 000 metric tonnes caught by commercial longline and purse seine vessels.

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Tullis, A., and B. A. Block. "Expression of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase isoforms in marlin and swordfish muscle and heater cells." American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 271, no. 1 (July 1, 1996): R262—R275. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.1996.271.1.r262.

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The superior rectus muscles of marlin, swordfish, sailfish, and spearfish are modified for generating heat rather than force. This study focuses on the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium-adenosinetriphosphatase (SR Ca(2+)-ATPase) to gain further insight into the muscle fiber type origin of the billfish “heater cell.” Direct sequencing and immunolocalization demonstrated that marlin and swordfish epaxial swimming muscles express two forms of the SR Ca(2+)-ATPase in a fiber type-specific manner; red slow-twitch skeletal and cardiac muscles express the same SERCA2 message, whereas white fast-twitch skeletal muscles express a SERCA1 message. Thus the expression pattern of the SR Ca2+ pump is similar in both billfish and tetrapod muscles. Molecular and immunological studies revealed that billfish heater tissue and superior rectus muscle express both fast and slow SR Ca2+ pump isoforms. Immunohistochemical results suggest that heater cells and most extraocular muscle fibers express the fast SR Ca2+ pump. Expression of the fast SR Ca(2+)-ATPase by heater cells has implications for heater cell origin and thermogenic control.

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Ortiz, Mauricio, Eric D. Prince, Joseph E. Serafy, David B. Holts, Kay B. Davy, Julian G. Pepperell, Michael B. Lowry, and John C. Holdsworth. "Global overview of the major constituent-based billfish tagging programs and their results since 1954." Marine and Freshwater Research 54, no. 4 (2003): 489. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf02028.

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Release and recovery files from the world's five major constituent-based billfish (Istiophoridae) tagging programs were assembled into a single composite database. Data sources included the National Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) Cooperative Tagging Center (MIA) in the Atlantic Ocean, the NMFS's Cooperative Billfish Tagging Program (LJA) in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the Australian Cooperative Tagging Program in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the New Zealand Cooperative Game Fish Tagging Program in the Pacific Ocean, and The Billfish Foundation's (TBF) tagging program in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Results for the main target species, including black marlin (Makaira indica), blue marlin (Makaira nigricans), white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus), striped marlin (Tetrapturus audax) and sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) were compared and contrasted based on species, ocean body and tagging program. A total of over 317 000 billfish have been tagged and released, and 4122 have been recovered since 1954. Tag recovery percentages were generally higher for a recently developed double-barb nylon anchor tag compared with the typically used stainless steel dart tag. Greatest distances moved were largest for blue marlin and black marlin, followed by striped marlin, white marlin and sailfish. The TBF program had the highest tag recovery percentages for white marlin (2.4%) and blue marlin (1.7%), whereas the MIA program had the highest percentage recovery for sailfish (1.8%). The LJA program had the highest recovery percentages for black marlin (1.9%) and striped marlin (1.4%). The annual number of releases and recoveries for each target species tended to increase over the time series, particularly during the last decade. Cyclic annual movement patterns and/or seasonal site fidelity were evident for black marlin and white marlin. The data suggest that tag recovery percentages can be affected by tag type, reporting rate, localized fishing activities, outreach activities, and a variety of logistical issues indirectly related to size of ocean body. The efficiencies of the tagging programs are compared and recommendations are made to improve the programs. The composite tagging database provides the opportunity for a more comprehensive evaluation of the data and tagging programs than has previously been possible by examining the individual programs in isolation. The main advantage of constituent-based tagging programs is that large numbers of billfish can be tagged at a minimum cost. The main drawbacks are a lack of control over the tagging event and return of recovery data. Constituent-based tagging programs provide essential data on billfish movement and biology, and should be expanded and improved to meet the increasing need for this information.

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McIntyre, Alasdair D. "Tuna and billfish—Fish without a country." Fisheries Research 8, no. 3 (January 1990): 295–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0165-7836(90)90031-p.

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McCuen, William, Aika Ishimori, and Robert Boessenecker. "A New Specimen of Xiphiorhynchus sp. cf. aegyptiacus (Istiophoriformes, Xiphioidei, Xiphiidae) and Billfish Diversity in the Oligocene of South Carolina." Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology 8 (July 13, 2020): 98–104. http://dx.doi.org/10.18435/vamp29367.

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A partial billfish rostrum from the Chandler Bridge Formation (Early Chattian, Oligocene) near Ladson, South Carolina, U.S.A., is described and identified as Xiphiorhynchus sp. cf. aegyptiacus. The angle of taper, depth to width ratio of the cross section, and other morphological features (including dorsolateral grooves and a planoconvex cross-section), indicate that this specimen (and an earlier published speccimen) is closest in morphology to X. aegyptiacus from the Eocene Birket Qarun Formation of Egypt. This confirms the presence of a second xiphiid in the Chandler Bridge Formation besides the well-documented giant swordfish X. rotundus. This is an unusual example of two Xiphiorhynchus species existing in known sympatry, and strongly contrasting morphologies and morphometrics may point to niche partitioning between the two forms. The occurrence of specimens strongly resembling X. aegyptiacus in the western Atlantic also further substantiates past arguments that easy dispersal across the Atlantic was possible for this genus, and, by extension, that it shared the open-sea, migratory epipelagic lifestyle of modern swordfish. Moreover, the Chandler Bridge Formation boasts the most diverse billfish assemblage in the world, including Xiphiorhynchus sp., cf. X. aegyptiacus, X. rotundus, an early istiophorid, and 4-7 species of blochiid billfish in the genera Aglyptorhynchus and Cylindracanthus.

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Graves, John E., and Jan R. McDowell. "Stock structure of the world's istiophorid billfishes: a genetic perspective." Marine and Freshwater Research 54, no. 4 (2003): 287. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf01290.

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Istiophorid billfishes are highly migratory species that inhabit the tropical and subtropical, epipelagic waters of the world's oceans, a large, relatively homogeneous environment that lacks significant physical barriers. Based on these observations alone, one would not expect marlins, sailfish and spearfishes to exhibit substantial stock structure. This assumption has been evaluated with a variety of techniques, including analyses of morphological characters, adult distribution, tag and recapture data, the spatial and temporal distribution of spawning and, recently, molecular genetic characters. This paper focuses on inferences of istiophorid billfish stock structure derived from investigation of several different classes of molecular markers, and reviews our current understanding of the genetic basis of stock structure of striped marlin, white marlin, blue marlin, sailfish and black marlin. Significant genetic differences exist between Atlantic and Indo-Pacific populations of blue marlin and sailfish, and the presence of distinct mitochondrial DNA lineages suggests that ocean populations were isolated in the past. However, the occurrence of identical genotypes in both oceans is evidence of recent genetic contact. The genetic data do not support recognition of separate Atlantic and Indo-Pacific species of blue marlin or sailfish. White and striped marlin are separated by about the same level of genetic divergence as Atlantic and Indo-Pacific populations of blue marlin and sailfish, but preliminary analysis of the mitochondrial DNA control region suggests that, unlike Atlantic and Indo-Pacific populations of blue marlin and sailfish, white marlin and striped marlin represent independent evolutionary units. If white and striped marlin are valid species, they are of very recent origin. Significant intraspecific genetic heterogeneity was found among collections of striped marlin and sailfish within the Indo-Pacific; both species exhibited a clear spatial partitioning of genetic variation among geographically distant collection locations. There was no genetic evidence for within-ocean population structuring for other istiophorids examined. Inferences of billfish stock structure derived from studies of molecular markers complement those obtained using other methods of analysis, and together these studies demonstrate substantial differences in the level of population structuring among istiophorid billfishes, information critical for effective management of these highly migratory species.

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Lowry, Michael, and Jeff Murphy. "Monitoring the recreational gamefish fishery off south-eastern Australia." Marine and Freshwater Research 54, no. 4 (2003): 425. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf01269.

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The east coast Australian gamefish fishery is a diverse, multi-species fishery that targets billfish, sharks, tuna and other pelagic fish along the east Australian seaboard. A Gamefish Tournament Monitoring Program (GTMP) was undertaken, and 39021 angler trips from 1996 to 2000 were analysed. The program reports on trends in fishing effort, catch rates, catch composition, proportions of captures tagged and released and spatial distribution of catches for the principal recreational billfish species: black marlin (Makaira indica), striped marlin (Tetrapterus audax) and blue marlin (Makiara nigricans).The GTMP was principally designed as part of an integrated program to monitor the recreational gamefish fishery. The spatial and temporal design of the program restricted statistical analyses however, there were trends in fishing effort, directed effort, catch rates, catch composition, proportions of fish tagged and spatial distribution of catches for the principal recreational billfish species over seven successive years (1994–2000). Analysis of catch data, stratified by directed effort, indicated significant differences in catches of target species, demonstrating the importance of calculating catch rate estimates according to the main target preference. Analysis of tournament based tagging information indicated that while overall tournament tagging rates remained high (88%) there were significant differences in the number of fish tagged between species groups highlighting the impact that angler attitude and the competition point score structure has on the harvest of gamefish target species.

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Luckhurst, Brian E. "Historical development of recreational billfishing in Bermuda and the significance of catches of large blue marlin (Makaira nigricans)." Marine and Freshwater Research 54, no. 4 (2003): 459. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf01274.

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Directed fishing effort for blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) and white marlin (Tetrapterus albidus) in Bermuda commenced in the early 1970s. The first annual billfish tournament was held in 1974. This 4-day tournament has been held every year since its inception and, with improvements in charter fishing vessels and fishing gear, local captains have become increasingly proficient at catching marlin. The development of a strong billfish conservation movement in the mid-1980s in the tropical western Atlantic promoted tag and release of marlin. This conservation ethic has been translated into a mean release rate in Bermuda of 91.6% for blue marlin and 97% for white marlin over the past 15 years. The billfish tournament has become primarily a release event, owing to the 227-kg (500 lbs) minimum weight for landing blue marlin. The catch of a blue marlin weighing 512 kg (1130 lbs) in 1984 gave Bermuda prominence in the billfishing world at that time. Since that event, an additional eight blue marlin weighing over 454 kg (1000 lbs) have been caught in Bermuda, giving the island a reputation as a primary site for catching large fish. This has had socio-economic benefits for the island, as foreign anglers contract local charter fishing vessels in search of a trophy blue marlin and foreign fishing boats come to fish Bermuda waters with attendant economic benefits for the island.

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Kerstetter, David W., and Jason Schratwieser. "Billfishes in a changing world." ICES Journal of Marine Science 75, no. 2 (March 1, 2018): 840–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsy012.

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Abstract The 6th International Billfish Symposium (IBS) was held in September 2016 at the headquarters of the International Game Fish Association in Dania Beach, Florida (USA). In addition to providing a venue for presenting new research on istiophorid and xiphiid billfishes, the IBS’s objective was to highlight known uncertainties about the biology and fisheries of these species, particularly at the level of regional fisheries management organizations, such as the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). The 6th IBS was attended by 60 participants from seven countries, contributing a total of 34 oral and five poster presentations. One of the other goals of the IBS was to collectively develop a plan for future IBS events. The next IBS is tentatively scheduled for 2021. We summarize here the main outcomes of the 6th IBS and preface the articles presented at the symposium that are included in this article theme set.

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Sharma, Rishi, Maite Pons, Sarah Martin, Laurie Kell, John Walter, Matthew Lauretta, and Michael Schirripa. "Factors related to the decline and rebuilding of billfish stocks in the Atlantic and Indian oceans." ICES Journal of Marine Science 75, no. 2 (May 20, 2017): 880–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsx081.

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Abstract The article examines factors related to the decline and rebuilding of billfish stocks in the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Longline effort has declined over the last 10–15 years in both oceans. This decline in fishing pressure has led to the recovery of some stocks, but some species that are caught incidentally in industrial longline fisheries remain overexploited. Using a simple moving average technique on fishing mortality trajectories, we estimated a threshold effort size of 240 million hooks for the Atlantic Ocean and 364 million hooks for the Indian Ocean where stocks start experiencing overfishing. In addition, we highlight differences in the economic characteristics of the major fleets catching billfish in the two oceans and discuss how this may be associated with differences in management, enforcement, and stock rebuilding.

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Braun, Camrin D., Maxwell B. Kaplan, Andrij Z. Horodysky, and Joel K. Llopiz. "Satellite telemetry reveals physical processes driving billfish behavior." Animal Biotelemetry 3, no. 1 (2015): 2. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40317-014-0020-9.

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Bille, Laura, Stefania Crovato, Amedeo Manfrin, Manuela Dalla Pozza, Marica Toson, Eleonora Franzago, Anna Pinto, et al. "Mercury contents in commercial Billfish species of the Western Central Atlantic: Assessing the potential risks to human health of Billfish consumption." Food Control 110 (April 2020): 107002. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2019.107002.

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Serafy, Joseph E., Robert K. Cowen, Claire B. Paris, Thomas R. Capo, and Stacy A. Luthy. "Evidence of blue marlin, Makaira nigricans, spawning in the vicinity of Exuma Sound, Bahamas." Marine and Freshwater Research 54, no. 4 (2003): 299. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf01273.

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Exuma Sound is a semi-enclosed body of water bounded by islands of the Bahamas. During July 2000, sampling for larval billfish was carried out throughout the Sound's surface waters as well as in adjacent open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. A total of 99 larval billfish (Istiophoridae) was collected. Ninety of the larvae were identifiable as blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) and three as sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus). The remaining larvae were also istiophorids, unidentified to species owing to damage; no larval Xiphias gladius were collected. Larval blue marlin densities ranged from 0 to 3.4 larvae/1000 m2; their sizes ranged from 3.1 mm notochord length to 22.6 mm standard length. Densities tended to be highest north-east of the Sound's central axis, especially within the two regions where exchange with the Atlantic is greatest. Mean densities tended to decrease in the direction of mean flow; mean lengths increased from 8.08 mm at the Sound's mouth to 14.7 mm standard length at its upper reaches. Length-based estimates of larval age ranged from 2.2 to 17.2 days. Given these age estimates and assuming passive surface transport, the blue marlin larvae collected were likely the result of recent spawning in waters that include Exuma Sound and may extend some 200 km south-east of its mouth. This study suggests that Exuma Sound functions as a nursery area for blue marlin, and possibly other billfish species, at least during the summer. Limited sampling just outside Exuma Sound, in the Atlantic Ocean proper, also yielded blue marlin larvae.

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McCurry, Matthew R., and Nicholas D. Pyenson. "Hyper-longirostry and kinematic disparity in extinct toothed whales." Paleobiology 45, no. 1 (November 6, 2018): 21–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/pab.2018.33.

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AbstractToothed cetacean (Odontoceti) lineages in the Miocene and Pliocene evolved rostra that are proportionally more elongate than any other aquatic mammal or reptile, living or extinct. Their similarities in cranial proportions to billfish may suggest a convergent feeding style, where the rostrum is swept through the water to hit and stun prey. Here we calculated second moment of area from rostral cross sections of these fossil odontocete taxa, as well as from extant ecological analogues, to infer variation in feeding behavior. Our results show that the extremely long rostra of extinct toothed whales vary considerably in functionally relevant measures of shape and likely exhibited a diversity of feeding behaviors, ranging from those similar to modern odontocetes to those convergent with billfish. Eustatic sea-level and temperature maxima of the Miocene likely led to changes in prey characteristics or abundance that enabled the repeated evolution of this extreme morphotype, which later went extinct during late Pliocene climatic deterioration.

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Carruthers, Thomas R., Murdoch K. McAllister, and Nathan G. Taylor. "Spatial surplus production modeling of Atlantic tunas and billfish." Ecological Applications 21, no. 7 (October 2011): 2734–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/10-2026.1.

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Innes, B. H., P. M. Grewe, and R. D. Ward. "PCR-based genetic identification of marlin and other billfish." Marine and Freshwater Research 49, no. 5 (1998): 383. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf98007.

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A genetic test was developed for the identification of the six species of billfish found in Australian waters (black marlin, Indo–Pacific blue marlin, striped marlin, Indo–Pacific sailfish, shortbill spearfish and broadbill swordfish). The test was based on the PCR–RFLP analysis of a 1400 bp region of the mitochondrial DNA molecule, the d-loop, using four restriction enzymes (Hinf I, Rsa I and Sau3A I andTaq I). A total of 33 composite haplotypes were observed among 160 fish; all were species-specific. Three of the species—black marlin, striped marlin and broadbill swordfish—showed sufficient intra-specific variation to be useful in population structure analyses.

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Merrett, N. R. "Gonad development in billfish (Istiophoridae) from the Indian Ocean*." Journal of Zoology 160, no. 3 (August 20, 2009): 355–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1970.tb03086.x.

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Sosa-Nishizaki, O. "Historical review of the billfish management in the mexican pacific." Ciencias Marinas 24, no. 1 (February 1, 1998): 95–111. http://dx.doi.org/10.7773/cm.v24i1.735.

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Gillis, Kirk S., and Robert B. Ditton. "A Conjoint Analysis of U.S. Atlantic Billfish Fishery Management Alternatives." North American Journal of Fisheries Management 22, no. 4 (November 2002): 1218–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1577/1548-8675(2002)022<1218:acaous>2.0.co;2.

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Brinson, Ayeisha A., David J. Die, Paul O. Bannerman, and Youssouph Diatta. "Socioeconomic performance of West African fleets that target Atlantic billfish." Fisheries Research 99, no. 1 (July 2009): 55–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2009.04.010.

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Fritsches, Kerstin A., N. Justin Marshall, and Eric J. Warrant. "Retinal specializations in the blue marlin: eyes designed for sensitivity to low light levels." Marine and Freshwater Research 54, no. 4 (2003): 333. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf02126.

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The large eyes and well-developed visual system of billfishes suggest that vision is an important sense for the detection and interception of prey and lures. Investigations of visual abilities in these large pelagic fishes are difficult, however anatomical studies of billfish eyes and retinas allow prediction of a number of visual capabilities. From the density of ganglion cells in the blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) retina, visual acuities of less than 10 cycles per degree were derived, a surprisingly low visual resolution given the absolute size of the marlin eye. Cone photoreceptors, on the other hand, were present in high densities, resulting in a presumed summation of cones to ganglion cells at a ratio of 40 : 1, even in the area of best vision. The optical sensitivity of the marlin eye was high owing to the large dimensions of the cone photoreceptors. These results indicate that the marlin eye is specifically adapted to cope with the low light levels encountered during diving. Since the marlin is likely to use its vision at depth, it is suggested that this line of research could help estimate the limits of vertical distribution based on light level.

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Bubley, WJ, B. Galuardi, AW Dukes, and WE Jenkins. "Incorporating depth into habitat use descriptions for sailfish Istiophorus platypterus and habitat overlap with other billfishes in the western North Atlantic." Marine Ecology Progress Series 638 (March 19, 2020): 137–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps13239.

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The sailfish Istiophorus platypterus is a circumglobal billfish species. It is commonly targeted in recreational fisheries and caught as by-catch in commercial fisheries, and therefore fisheries management would benefit from an enhanced understanding of basic patterns of the species’ daily and seasonal movements. Between 2002 and 2007, 87 billfish were tagged with pop-off satellite archival tags in the Atlantic waters off the coast of South Carolina, USA, including sailfish (n = 54), blue marlin Makaira nigricans (n = 15), and white marlin Kajikia albida (n = 18). Only fish meeting specific tag program criteria and length of tag attachment were selected for further analysis (sailfish, n = 19; blue marlin, n = 4; white marlin, n = 3). Differential horizontal and vertical movement patterns were observed within sailfish by season. Two- and three-dimensional (3D) analyses showed differential spatial niche use by sailfish. Among the istiophorid species, 3D analysis showed less overlap when occupying similar horizontal areas. The results from this study, in conjunction with similar studies from other areas, provide a better understanding of habitat usage that can be applied to address uncertainties in ecology or management, such as characterization of stock structure, identifying potential spawning habitat or intra-specific competition, providing correction factors for indices of abundance, and characterizing vulnerability to fishing gear.

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Williams, Samuel M., Bonnie J. Holmes, Sean R. Tracey, Julian G. Pepperell, Michael L. Domeier, and Michael B. Bennett. "Environmental influences and ontogenetic differences in vertical habitat use of black marlin ( Istiompax indica ) in the southwestern Pacific." Royal Society Open Science 4, no. 11 (November 2017): 170694. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.170694.

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The black marlin ( Istiompax indica ) is a highly migratory billfish that occupies waters throughout the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific. To characterize the vertical habitat use of I. indica , we examined the temperature-depth profiles collected using 102 pop-up satellite archival tags deployed off the east coast of Australia. Modelling of environmental variables revealed location, sea-surface height deviation, mixed layer depth and dissolved oxygen to all be significant predictors of vertical habitat use. Distinct differences in diel movements were observed between the size classes, with larger size classes of marlin (greater than 50 kg) undertaking predictable bounce-diving activity during daylight hours, while diving behaviour of the smallest size class occurred randomly during both day and night. Overall, larger size classes of I. indica were found to use an increased thermal range and spend more time in waters below 150 m than fish of smaller size classes. The differences in the diving behaviour among size classes were suggested to reflect ontogenetic differences in foraging behaviour or physiology. The findings of this study demonstrate, for the first time to our knowledge, ontogenetic differences in vertical habitat in a species of billfish, and further the understanding of pelagic fish ecophysiology in the presence of global environmental change.

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Fennell, Davida. "Ecotourism, Animals and Ecocentrism: A Re-examination of the Billfish Debate." Tourism Recreation Research 38, no. 2 (January 2013): 189–202. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2013.11081744.

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Hsieh, Hung-Sheng, Tuu-Jyi Chai, and Deng-Fwu Hwang. "Rapid PCR-RFLP Method for the Identification of 5 Billfish Species." Journal of Food Science 70, no. 4 (May 31, 2006): C246—C249. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.2005.tb07167.x.

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Boyce, DG, DP Tittensor, and B. Worm. "Effects of temperature on global patterns of tuna and billfish richness." Marine Ecology Progress Series 355 (February 26, 2008): 267–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps07237.

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Atkins, Ayelet, Mason N. Dean, Maria Laura Habegger, Phillip J. Motta, Lior Ofer, Felix Repp, Anna Shipov, Steve Weiner, John D. Currey, and Ron Shahar. "Remodeling in bone without osteocytes: Billfish challenge bone structure–function paradigms." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111, no. 45 (October 20, 2014): 16047–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1412372111.

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44

Weber, R. E., K. L. Campbell, A. Fago, H. Malte, and F. B. Jensen. "ATP-induced temperature independence of hemoglobin-O2 affinity in heterothermic billfish." Journal of Experimental Biology 213, no. 9 (April 16, 2010): 1579–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.040543.

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45

Fennell, David A. "Comment: Ecotourism on Trial-The Case of Billfish Angling as Ecotourism." Journal of Sustainable Tourism 8, no. 4 (August 2000): 341–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09669580008667370.

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Block, BA. "Billfish Brain and Eye Heater: A New Look at Nonshivering Heat Production." Physiology 2, no. 6 (December 1, 1987): 208–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/physiologyonline.1987.2.6.208.

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Several large oceanic fish have a heat-producing tissue that warms their brain and eyes. This tissue is derived from an eye muscle and consists of cells that are specialized for heat production and not for contraction. Heat production in this unusual muscle tissue may be associated with the ATP-dependent cycling of Ca2+ at the sarcoplasmic reticulum. This type of heat production is probably prevalent in many animals and is associated with malignant hyperthermia in humans.

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Gottfried, Michael D., R. Ewan Fordyce, and Seabourne Rust. "A new billfish (Perciformes, Xiphioidei) from the late Oligocene of New Zealand." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 32, no. 1 (January 2012): 27–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2012.634471.

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Punt, André E., Nan-Jay Su, and Chi-Lu Sun. "Assessing billfish stocks: A review of current methods and some future directions." Fisheries Research 166 (June 2015): 103–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2014.07.016.

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Manceau, Alain, Sabine Azemard, Laetitia Hédouin, Emilia Vassileva, David Lecchini, Cécile Fauvelot, Peter W. Swarzenski, Pieter Glatzel, Paco Bustamante, and Marc Metian. "Chemical Forms of Mercury in Blue Marlin Billfish: Implications for Human Exposure." Environmental Science & Technology Letters 8, no. 5 (April 8, 2021): 405–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.1c00217.

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50

Dhellemmes, F., M. J. Hansen, S. D. Bouet, J. J. Videler, P. Domenici, J. F. Steffensen, T. Hildebrandt, et al. "Oil gland and oil pores in billfishes: in search of a function." Journal of Experimental Biology 223, no. 19 (August 13, 2020): jeb224956. http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.224956.

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ABSTRACTBillfishes are well known for their distinctive elongated rostra, i.e. bills. The functional significance of billfish rostra has been frequently discussed and the recent discovery of an oil gland (glandula oleofera) at the base of the rostrum in swordfish, Xiphias gladius, has added an interesting facet to this discussion regarding the potential co-evolution of gland and rostra. Here, we investigated the oil gland and oil pores (through which the oil is brought to the skin surface) of four billfish species – swordfish, Atlantic blue marlin (Makaira nigricans), Indo-Pacific sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) and striped marlin (Kajikia audax) – and provide detailed evidence for the presence of an oil gland in the last three. All four species had a high density of oil pores on the forehead which is consistent with the hypothesis of hydrodynamic benefits of the oil. The extension of the pores onto the front half of the rostrum in sailfish and striped marlin, but not in swordfish or blue marlin, suggests that the oil may have additional functions. One such function could be linked to the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of the oil. However, the available evidence on predatory rostrum use (and hence the likelihood of tissue damage) is only partly consistent with the extension of pores on rostra across species. We conclude that the oil gland probably serves multiple, non-mutually exclusive functions. More detailed information on rostrum use in blue marlin and swordfish is needed to better link behavioural and morphological data with the aim of accomplishing a full comparative analysis.

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Journal articles on the topic 'Billfish'

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