REVIEW PAPERS 



A Review of the World Sport Fishery for 

 Billfishes (Istiophoridae and Xiphiidae)^ 



DONALD P. DE SYLVA^ 



ABSTRACT 



Sport fishing is conducted for bilirishes (Istiophoridae and Xiphiidae) in nearly all warm oceans, 

 primarily in tropica! and subtropical seas. In probable order of descending catch rate, the principal species 

 caught by anglers are sailfish, white marlin, blue marlln, striped marlin, black marUn, swordfish, and 

 longbill spearfish; the shortbill and Mediterranean spearfishes are rarely taken by anglers. Important sport 

 fisheries are presently concentrated from Massachusetts to North Carolina and about Bermuda, southeast- 

 ern Florida, the northern and northeastern Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, the larger islands of the 

 Caribbean, Venezuela, the eastern tropical Pacific between southern California and Chile, Hawaii, New 

 Zealand and eastern Australia, Kenya to Cape Town, South Africa, Ivory Coast to Senegal, West Africa, 

 and off Portugal, Spain, and Italy. 



In some regions maximum anghng effort coincides with maximum availability of billfish, while in 

 others, especially in the western North Atlantic, maximum angling pressure is correlated with angling 

 tournaments which in turn relate to summer vacations of tourists and the tendency of most anglers to fish 

 only during the day and when the weather is favorable. Angling for billfish during the "off-season" may 

 well produce good results in areas which usually are heavily fished only at certain periods. New billfishing 

 regions probably can be developed, but this requires the assistance of local governments to provide or 

 ensure adequate sportfishing vessels, docks, bait, and, especially, qualified captains and crews. 



Because of the relative inelTiciency of the gear used by anglers to catch billfish, it is unlikely that 

 angling can deplete the billfish stocks, other factors such as natural environmental fluctuations, pollution, 

 or commercial fishing being equal. There is evidence that commercial fishing in the eastern Pacific is 

 affecting the sport catches of sailfish and striped marlin. Based on commercial catch data, the mean size of 

 sailfish and striped marlin and their hooking rate have decreased. In the Caribbean the catch rate of blue 

 marlin and white marlin by commercial fishermen has decreased; this phenomenon may be attributed to 

 heavy commercial fishing pressure from longline fleets. 



The economic value of the billfish sport fishery is extremely high to local communities which sup- 

 port angling activities. In spite of some aesthetic feelings which promote releasing of billfish which are 

 not tagged, it would appear that catches by anglers could be retained for human consumption without 

 seriously depleting the stocks, thus further contributing to local economy. 



Sport fishing for billfishes poses special problems because of the complexity, expense, expertise 

 required, and lack of basic information on the fisheries and the fishermen. Possible solutions to these 

 are discussed. 



Since the end of World War II, the sport fishery 

 for billfishes (Istiophoridae and Xiphiidae) has 

 developed markedly geographically and in effort ex- 

 pended. Better and cheaper air travel, fast sportfish- 

 ing boats equipped with excellent tackle and fish- 

 finding devices, and increased leisure time in many 



' Scientific Contribution No. 1695. University of Miami. 

 Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. 



^ Associate Professorof Marine Science. University of Miami. 

 Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Miami, 

 Fl. 33149. 



countries have enabled the average man to make 

 dreams of catching giant marlin — which he once 

 could only read about in magazines such as Field 

 and Stream — become a reality. The increase in size 

 and scope of the billfish sportfishing industry, for it 

 has become a virtual industry, has more than paral- 

 leled the expansion of the commercial fishery for 

 billfishes on the high seas of the world. Each in- 

 terest is legitimate, but because both industries are 

 seeking the same resource, including the ecologi- 

 cally and economically related tunas, legitimate 



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