grounds are located in the Gulf of Mexico, Carri- 

 bean Sea, and the southwestern Atlantic (Fig. 7). 

 The distributional limits are about lat. 45°N to lat. 

 40°S in the Atlantic Ocean. This species is caught in 

 the Mediterranean Sea from Gibraltar to Italy (de 

 Sylva, 1972). 



Tetrapturus audax 



This species is distributed in the tropical and 

 temperate waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans 

 (Fig. 7). Based on catch data, the distributional pat- 

 tern of this species in the Pacific is horseshoe-shaped 

 with the base located along the central American 

 coast. The latitudinal limits are about lat. 45°N to lat. 

 35°-40°S in the Pacific Ocean, as far south as lat. 45°S 

 in the western South Indian Ocean and lat. 35°S in 

 the eastern South Indian Ocean. 



Makaira mazara 



This species is distributed in the tropical and 

 temperate waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. 

 The Indo-Pacific blue marlin is the most tropical of 

 the marlin species and it is primarily distributed in 

 equatorial areas (Fig. 8). Good fishing grounds are 

 located in the equatorial and tropical central Pacific 



Ocean, the South Pacific Ocean, and the equatorial 

 Indian Ocean. The distributional limits are about lat. 

 45°N in the western North Pacific Ocean, lat. 35°N 

 in the eastern North Pacific Ocean, lat. 35°S in the 

 South Pacific Ocean, lat. 40°-45°S in the western 

 South Indian Ocean and lat. 35°S in the eastern 

 South Indian Ocean. 



Makaira nigricans 



This species is distributed in the tropical and 

 temperate waters of the Atlantic Ocean and is the 

 most tropical of the Atlantic billfishes. Good fishing 

 grounds are located in the Gulf of Mexico, around 

 the West Indies and off central Brazil (Fig. 8). The 

 distributional limits are about lat. 40°N to lat. 40°S in 

 the Atlantic Ocean. 



Makaira indica 



This species is distributed in the Indian and 

 Pacific Oceans (Fig. 8). A few catches of this species 

 have been recorded by fishermen from the Atlantic 

 Ocean: however, the identifications have not been 

 validated. It is conceivable that stray black marlin 

 may invade the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Cape 

 of Good Hope. In Figure 8, the dotted line shows the 



Figure 8. — Distribution of fishes of genus Makaira based on catch data from Japanese longline fishery during 1964-69. A. 

 Good fishing grounds for the Indo-Pacific blue marlin, M. mazara. B. Good fishing grounds for the Atlantic blue marlin, M. 

 nigricans. C. Good fishing grounds for the black marlin, M. indica. D. Presumed northern and southern limits of the black 

 marlin. E. Presumed northern and southern limits of the Atlantic blue marlin. G. Presumed invasion of the black marlin 

 from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. 



52 



