-277- 



STATUS REPORT: PACIFIC STRIPED, BLUE, AND BLACK MARLINS 



by 



Howard 0. Yoshida 



Southwest Fisheries Center 

 Honolulu, Hawaii 



ABSTRACT 



The blue marl in, striped marl in, and black marl in are primarily caught 

 by longline gear in the Pacific. The available evidence suggests that blue 

 marl in comprise a single equatorial ly-centered stock in the Pacific. Two 

 hypotheses have been advanced for striped marl in stocks in the Pacific: 

 (1) a single-unit stock and (2) a two-stock structure where a North 

 Pacific stock and a South Pacific stock are separated roughly at the 

 equator, with some intermixing in the eastern Pacific. The available 

 evidence suggests the possibility of a multiple (two or three) stock 

 structure for black marl in in the Pacific: one in the eastern Pacific and 

 two in the western Pacific. The production model analysis, together with 

 the declining catch rate, suggests that the Pacific blue marl in stock is 

 being overfished. On a Pacific-wide basis, the striped marl in stock 

 appears to be in good condition. No production model analysis is available 

 for the Pacific black marl in. A high priority task is to better define the 

 stock structure of marl ins in the Pacific. 



