exact problems this raises for the white marlin are not 

 known but we have seen hearty, active fish which 

 have been caught with this condition. 



3.4 Nutrition and Growth 



3.41 Feeding 



Most indications given by the degree of digestion of 

 various food items in the stomachs of white marlin 

 show them to be daytime feeders. De Sylva and Davis 

 (1963) found that nearly all round herring, Etrumeus 

 sadina, taken from marlin caught between Ocean 

 City, Md., and Atlantic City, N.J., were only slightly 

 digested and appeared quite fresh, indicating recent 

 ingestion (i.e., from 0800 to 1700). At Bimini, 

 Krumholz and de Sylva (1958) likewise observed that 

 some of the fish caught before 1000 still contained bait 

 fish that were only slightly digested, and fish caught 

 at 1130 and 1330 contained a small octopus and a 

 filefish respectively, neither of which was in any ad- 

 vanced stage of decomposition. The marlin may feed 

 at night as well, for squid which showed signs of hav- 

 ing been in the stomachs for a considerable period of 

 time were found in fish taken in the morning (de 

 Sylva and Davis, 1963). This does not, however, 

 appear to be the major feeding time. 



The general areas of feeding may be of different 

 natures from deep to shallow water and from near the 

 shore to out in the open sea. Nakamura (1971) felt 

 that sargassum lines are attractive as feeding areas for 

 fish in the Gulf. Off Bimini, Krumholz and de Sylva 

 (1958) inferred that the marlins are not primarily sur- 

 face feeders but that they probably obtain a large por- 

 tion of their food at depths as great as several hundred 

 feet. 



The method used by the white marlin for capture of 

 prey is not certain. Earle (1940) reported that they kill 

 or stun their food by spearing it or hitting it with their 

 bill. This may not always be true, however, as whole 

 specimens found in the stomach have been unscathed. 

 In such cases the marlin may have simply overtaken 

 the prey. 



3.42 Food 



Squid, it seems, play one of the most important 

 parts as food of the white marlin in the different areas 

 of its abundance. Erdman (1958) examined seven fish 

 and found squid in four marlins, snake mackerel in 

 two, doctorfish in two, filefish in one, triggerfish in 

 one, and one each of a blue runner, young tuna, and 

 Brama in Puerto Rican samples. In the Bahamas, he 

 examined eight and found five with squid, four with 

 Pseudoscopelus, five with snake mackerels and one 

 each with octopods, doctorfish, bigeyes, and round 

 robins (Selar sp. or Decapturus sp. ) . Krumholz and de 

 Sylva (1958) also working in the Bahamas, found food 

 in nine of 50 stomachs examined, including three with 

 squid, three with octopods, two with unidentifiable 



fish remains, and one each with a crab, filefish, and 

 balao. 



In the Gulf of Mexico, Nakamura (1971) and 

 Nakamura and Rivas (1972) found that the most con- 

 sistently important food items of the white marlin 

 from 1966 to 1971 were squid, dolphin, Coryphaena 

 hippurus, and hardtail jacks, Caranx crysos. 

 Mackerel were next in importance and flying fish and 

 bonito also played a big part. Other items found were 

 cutlassfish, swellfish, herring, barracuda, moonfish, 

 triggerfish, remora, hammerhead sharks, and crabs 

 but to a much lesser and more inconsistent degree. 



Along the middle Atlantic coast the favorite food 

 items for the white marlin appear to be the round 

 herring and squid, Loligo pealei (de Sylva and Davis, 

 1963). Carangids were also well represented in addi- 

 tion to several other species as shown in Table 4 by 

 number of times occuring. 



This same area was studied by Wallace and 

 Wallace (1942) (not seen by us; quoted by de Sylva 



Table 4. — Frequency of occurrence of different organisms in 

 stomachs of 55 white marlin, Tetrapturus albidus, taken by 

 anglers between Ocean City, Md., and Atlantic City, N. J., 29 

 July to 12 September 1959, and in 18 white marlin taken at 

 Atlantic City, 3 to 5 August 1960. 



'Not a bait. 



Source: de Sylva and Davis, 1963, Table 5. 



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