2. Sailfish, Istiophorus orientalis (Temminck and Schlegel) 



Umbrella spearfish (Formosa). 



This species is also called nairagi , norage, baren , and sugiyama . It attains a length 

 of about 3 meters and a weight of about 60 kilograms. The spearshaped upper jaw is compara- 

 tively long and the developnnent of the ventral fins is also remarkable. The body is notably com- 

 pressed laterally and elongated and there are between 10 and 20 transverse bands formed of 

 cobalt colored spots on the sides of the body. The most remarkable characteristic is the very 

 great development of the first dorsal fin. Most of the names for this fish are based on this 

 character. 



The flesh is rather dark pink, inferior in appearance to other species, and the flavor 

 also appears inferior. It is, however, very well flavored at some seasons, particularly from 

 April to June. 



The sailfish occurs throughout the year comparatively close to islands in warm seas, 

 and it appears in Japanese waters in the sunnmer. It spawns in Formosan waters from April to 

 August. The juvenile fish differ greatly in appearance from the adults, and have conspicuous 

 spines on their heads. 



The spearfishes, when they are hooked, generally make a series of leaps into the air, 

 after which they struggle at the surface attempting to flee in a horizontal direction so that they 

 tangle the lines and are very troublesome. They also have the habit of swimming at the surface 

 with the upper lobe of the caudal fin and sometimes a part of the dorsal fin exposed. This habit 

 is utilized by the harpoon fishery which is carried on at a number of widely separated places. 



3. Striped marlin, Makaira mitsukurii (Jordan and Snyder) 



Spearfish or Blue-marlin (?) (America). 



Red-fleshed spearfish (Formosa). 



This species is sometimes called akakajiki (red marlin) to contrast it with the white 

 marlin and black marlin. It is not very large for a spearfish, but it does attain a length of 

 about 2. 5 meters and a weight of around 120 kilograms. 



The body is elongated ajid strongly compressed laterally with between 10 and 20 trans- 

 verse bars on its sides formed by assemblages of cobalt spots. The third to fifth spines of the 

 first dorsal fin are the highest, the height exceeding the body depth. The upper jaw is longer in 

 proportion to the lower jaw than in other species of spearfish. 



The flesh is a beautiful pale red color, the so-called "spearfish color," and both its 

 appearance and its flavor are considered very good when it is served raw. The price is conse- 

 quently high. 



These fish are always present in warm seas. They are quite pelagic in nature and 

 appear to be teiken in rather large numbers in the vicinity of small islands in the open ocean. In 

 the Ogasawara Islands area they are most abundant from May to July, and they appear to range 

 north to the vicinity of 40 N. latitude. In Formosan waters the catch of this species begins 

 gradually to increase in January and is at its peak in May at which time the fish spawn. They ap- 

 pear to move north along the continental side of the Kuroshio and are rather abundant on the East 

 China Sea side of the Okinawa archipelago. They also appear in the Tsushima Strait area and 

 some of them seem to enter the southern part of the Sea of Japan. 



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