BIOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY 273 



to fish with bait that appeals to this fastidious fish. Florida waters and 

 northern waters have been thoroughly explored for it by expert anglers. 

 Several well-known anglers believe that the blue marlin is off Hatteras 

 in numbers sufficient to attract anglers. This idea appears to be based on 

 the theory that the fish is migratory and passes that point as it goes north 

 in the Gulf Stream — a theory not in accord with the ideas above. However, 

 the theory may have been an effort to explain the not infrequently correct 

 instinct developed by many anglers. At this time, however, it would seem 

 unwise to advocate the expenditure of much effort or money in trying to 

 prove the blue marlin's presence in numbers in the waters off Cape Hatteras. 



WHITE MARLIN 



Makaira albida (Poey) 



The white marlin runs farther north in greater numbers than the blue. 

 It has been reported off Cape Hatteras and at the edge of the shoals off 

 Southport in September, although there is no confirmation of its presence 

 in any quantity. 



This fish occurs off Cuba in great quantity. Ernest Hemingway says 

 that it spawns there in May, heading inshore in pairs — the typical spawn- 

 ing behavior of the speared fishes. He states that in May he has found 

 female fish full of roe. The fish is plentiful in Cuba as early as March in 

 some years and usually from April through May. It occurs there as a 

 straggler in September, one of the most plentiful months for the blue marlin. 

 The white marlin are in Bimini from December through July; the best 

 month is May. They are caught off Palm Beach and Miami in March and 

 April; oft" Ocean City, Maryland, in quantity in late August and early 

 September. They are off New York and southern New England around the 

 beginning of July. The grounds off Maryland are stretches of shoal water, 

 only fifty or sixty feet deep. Marlin taken there weigh an average of seventy 

 pounds, although one of 130 has been reported. The record, taken off Miami, 

 weighed 161 pounds. No free eggs and no young of this fish have ever been 

 recorded although there are constant rumors of young being seen. With 

 this gap in its life history, no theories as to its distribution can be very 

 tenable. 



This fish is a very popular big game fish which provides spectacular 

 jumping when hooked. 



* SEA MULLET, ALSO CALLED KINGFISH, KING WHITING, ROUNDHEAD, 

 VIRGINIA MULLET, SEA MINK 



Genus Menticirrhus 



Three species of Menticirrhus are present in North Carolina waters. The 

 most numerous, M. americanus (Linnaeus), is a southern form ranging from 



