Section 4. Fisheries. 



An Analysis of the Sportfishery 



For Billfishes in the Northeastern 



Gulf of Mexico During 1971 



EUGENE L. NAKAMURA 1 



and 



LUIS R. RIVAS 2 



ABSTRACT 



Data were obtained on the sportfishery for billfishes off South Pass, Louisiana, and off northwest 

 Florida in 1971. These data included: dates and times of raises, hookups, and catches by species; locations 

 of raises; areas fished; baits used; water color; surface conditions; boat characteristics. A total of 99 blue 

 marlin (Makaira nigricans), 284 white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus), and 318 sailfish (Istiophorus 

 platypterus) was caught and recorded during 11,107 hours of fishing in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. 

 White marlin was most abundant in July and August, while sailfish was most abundant in the latter half of 

 September off northwest Florida. Similar periods of abundance for these two species were not evident off 

 South Pass. Blue marlin did not have an especially abundant period in either area. White marlin and 

 sailfish were more abundant off northwest Florida than off South Pass, whereas the reverse was true for 

 blue marlin. The hours of greatest relative abundance for all species of billfishes combined were between 

 1000 and 1200 and again between 1300 and 1500 off South Pass. A similar pattern was found off northwest 

 Florida (1000-1100 and 1400-1500). Results indicated that the bluer the water, the greater the relative 

 abundance of each of the three species. Off South Pass more billfishes were raised along lines and rips 

 than in any other surface condition, whereas off northwest Florida, more billfishes were raised in open 

 water than in any other surface condition. Moon phase appeared not to have any significant effect on 

 billfishing. Neither did the length of the fishing boats. However, of the boats in the 40 to 49 ft length 

 category, those with twin screws raised more billfishes than those with single screw. Off northwest 

 Florida, blue marlin preferred mullet (Mugil cephalus) over ballyhoo (Hemiramphus sp.) and bonito 

 (Euthynnus alleteratus) strip as bait; white marlin showed no preference; while sailfish preferred bonito 

 strip. Off South Pass, data on bait preference were insufficient to allow conclusions. 



The sportfishery for billfishes in the northeast- 

 ern Gulf of Mexico began in the mid-1950's. Al- 

 though sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) were occa- 

 sionally caught in nearshore waters, the sport- 

 fishery for big game fishes did not get underway 

 until blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) and white 

 marlin (Tetrapturus albidus) were discovered in 

 offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico by the re- 



'NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Gulf Coastal 

 Fisheries Center, Panama City Laboratory, Panama City, FL 

 32401 



2 NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast 

 Fisheries Center, Miami, FL (present duty station, Panama City 

 Laboratory, Panama City, FL 32401). 



search vessel Oregon of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

 Service (Bullis, 1955). Impressive longline catches 

 of blue marlin and white marlin had been made off 

 South Pass at the mouth of the Mississippi River by 

 the crew of the Oregon. Following this discovery, a 

 sportfishery for big game fishes began off the Mis- 

 sissippi delta. The first catches of white marlin, 

 blue marlin, and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus 

 albacares) by sportfishermen were made off South 

 Pass in June, 1956 (Kalman, 1970). 



In the years that followed, the sportfishery for 

 billfishes expanded, so that sportboats from Pen- 

 sacola, Destin, and Panama City (all ports in 

 northwest Florida) were also participating in the 



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