Longbill Spearfish, Tetrapturus 



pfluegeri, Incidentally Caught by 



Recreational Billfishermen in the 



Western North Atlantic Ocean, 1974-86 



Recreational billfish surveys have been con- 

 ducted annually by the National Marine Fish- 

 eries Service (NMFS), Southeast Fisheries 

 Center (SEFC), in the Atlantic Ocean off the 

 U.S. east coast, the Gulf of Mexico, the Ba- 

 hamas, and the Caribbean Sea since 1971. Dur- 

 ing these surveys, biological samples were col- 

 lected to determine age and growth parameters, 

 and reproductive biology; and to monitor catch 

 and effort trends of all billfish species. These 

 species include the saiLfish, Istiophorus platyp- 

 terus, white marhn, Tetrapturus albidus, blue 

 marhn, Makaira nigricans, and longbill spear- 

 fish, Tetrapturus pfluegeri. With the exception 

 of the longbill spearfish, these species have re- 

 ceived considerable attention from fisheries 

 scientists (Nakamura 1985). Owing to the rarity 

 of longbill spearfish in coastal waters, there have 

 been very little fisheries information and bio- 

 logical data pubHshed (Robins 1975; Nakamura 

 1985). All spearfish data collected by the 

 NMFS/SEFC during the annual recreational 

 billfish surveys are summarized in this note. 



The longbill spearfish is an epipelagic species 

 found in offshore waters throughout the Atlantic 

 Ocean extending from lat. 40°N to 35°S 

 (Nakamura 1985). These fish are commonly 

 caught by foreign longline vessels fishing off- 

 shore for tuna (Ueyanagi et al. 1970) but are 

 rarely caught by recreational vessels fishing 

 closer inshore for sailfish and mariin (Beardsley 

 and Conser 1981). Longbill spearfish are inci- 

 dentally caught by recreational fishermen while 

 trolling for the more popular sailfish and mariin. 



Spearfish are caught during the months of 

 March through September, but particularly dur- 

 ing the summer (Fig. 1). The shortened seasons 

 for catches in the temperate Gulf of Mexico and 

 Atlantic, contrasted with the extended season in 

 the tropical Caribbean, indicate that spearfish 

 prefer warm offshore water. The fish were 

 caught during daylight, with the majority being 

 caught between the hours of 0800 and 1400 

 (Table 1). Spearfish feed on a variety of epi- 

 pelagic organisms (Ovchinnikov 1979). Limited 

 data (29 specimens) showed no distinct prefer- 

 ence for either artificial or natural (dead) trolled 

 baits (Table 1). 



The average length and weight of the spear- 

 fish was 151.8 cm (lower jaw fork length, SD 

 24.3, A^ = 35) and 14.7 kg (SD 6.3, N = 38). 

 These lengths and weights are similar to the 



BAHAMAS 



~i r 



M^^ 



I 



CO 



O 



CARIBBEAN 



4- 



S ^r EASTERN U.S. 

 m 



J 



10r 



GULF OF MEXICO 



^^ 



J-+ 



A M J J 



MONTH 



O N 



Figure 1. — Seasonality, by geographic area, of spearfish observed during annual 

 NMFS/SEFC recreational billfish surveys, 1974-86. 



Manuscript accepted May 1989. 

 Fishery Bulletin, U.S. 87: 982-984, 1989. 



982 



