this species from those fisheries. Sport catches of 

 blue marlin have been reported by Rivas (1956) 

 from Baja California, Acapulco, Mexico, and Pifias 

 Bay, Panama. Sport catches have also been re- 

 ported off Ecuador (Anonymous, 1955) and off 

 Peru (Morrow, 1957). 



Blue marlin occur throughout the Pacific Ocean 

 but their abundance is generally greater in the west- 

 ern and west-central Pacific than in the eastern 

 Pacific, apparently the reciprocal of the distribution 

 of striped marlin. During the southern spring there 

 appears to be a shift in the area of highest hook 



Figure 8.— Average number of blue marlin caught per 1,000 hooks by Japanese 

 longline vessels in the eastern Pacific by quarters, 1956-1970, by 5-degree areas, a. 

 First quarter, b. Second quarter, c. Third quarter, d. Fourth quarter. 



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