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STATUS REPORT: BILLFISHES IN THE INDIAN OCEAN 



by 



Howard 0. Yoshida 



Southwest Fisheries Center 

 Honolulu, Hawaii 



ABSTRACT 



Bill fishes are caught primarily as a by-catch on longline gear set to 

 catch tunas in the Indian Ocean, Most of these bill fishes appear to be 

 sold in Japan where striped marl in brings the highest price, followed by 

 swordfish, blue marlin, and black marlin. Tentative results from 

 production model analyses indicate that no significant increase in total 

 yield can be expected for blue and black marlin, whereas striped marlin 

 yields could increase with increased effort. Swordfish and sail fish stock 

 do not appear to be adversely affected by current levels of fishing 

 efforts. Additional statistics must be collected from the fleets of 

 participating nations to give a clearer picture of stock status in these 

 waters. 



