Table 1. — Annual landings (in metric tons) of billfish 

 made by the various fisheries in Taiwan, 1962-1971. 







Deep-sea 



Inshore 







Year 



Total 



longline 



longline 



Harpooning 



Other 









etric tons) 

















1962 



9,027 



1,501 



4.716 



2,648 



162 



1963 



10.915 



2.088 



5.746 



2,864 



217 



1964 



9,167 



1,973 



4,492 



2,516 



186 



1965 



8,667 



1,655 



4,361 



2,344 



307 



1966 



10.404 



2,654 



4,819 



2.618 



313 



1967 



11,297 



3,698 



5,101 



1,995 



503 



1968 



16.012 



6.363 



6,961 



2,260 



428 



1969 



17,994 



8.691 



6.998 



1,995 



310 



1970 



15.502 



8.060 



5,203 



1,981 



258 



1971 



16,573 



8.760 



5,640 



1.865 



308 



Yii"; also called "Tinmankhu" or "Ki Hi Khu" by 

 local fishermen. Swordfish are pelagic, circumtrop- 

 ical fish of worldwide distribution. In Taiwan, 

 swordfish are caught in waters along the east and 

 south coasts, mainly by harpoon and longline gear. 

 Occasionally, swordfish are taken by gill nets dur- 

 ing the northeast monsoon season from October to 

 April. During the fishing season, swordfish often 

 swim and bask near the water surface, exposing the 

 caudal and dorsal fins and sometimes jumping out 

 of the water. These fish are not easily disturbed, 

 and with these habits, swordfish are easily spotted 

 by the harpoon fishermen. The swordfish grows to 

 a size of 4.5 m in length and over 500 kg in weight. 

 Fish weighing 140 to 180 kg are considered large. In 

 Taiwan the swordfish is valued as an excellent food 

 fish and is consumed as raw fish (sashimi) or fried 

 with salt. 

 2. Striped marlin, Tetrapturus audax. 



In Chinese the striped marlin is called "Cheng 

 Ch'i Yii"; also called "An-bah Ki Hi" by local 

 fishermen. Striped marlin are found throughout the 

 tropical Indo-Pacific waters. In Taiwan this species 

 occurs around the island throughout the year and is 

 caught mostly by the harpoon and longline 

 fisheries, principally in the spring and summer 

 months in the Kuroshio Current area located along 

 the east coast of Taiwan. This species usually 

 swims near the surface in small groups with their 

 caudal fins exposed. Fish weighing 100 kg are occa- 

 sionally caught; however, fish of 40 to 60 kg are 



most common in the Taiwan catch. It is 

 hypothesized that striped marlin of this population 

 spawn in the South China Sea near Taiwan during 

 the month of May. After spawning striped marlin 

 migrate northward. 



The so-called "Taiwan striped marlin", Makaira 

 formosana (Hirasaka and Nakamura), is consid- 

 ered to be the juvenile of T. audax. 



The flesh of striped marlin is reddish and rich in 

 flavor; the species is considered an excellent food 

 fish by the Chinese people. 



3. Blue marlin, Makaira nigricans. 



In Chinese the blue marlin is called "Hei-pi Ch'i 

 Yii"; also called "O-phe ki Hi" by local fishermen. 

 The blue marlin is an oceanic species which is 

 widely distributed in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. 

 In Taiwan, fishing for blue marlin by longline and 

 harpoon is carried out year-round; however, effort 

 is concentrated during the months of February, 

 March, and September. It is known that blue marlin 

 spawn in June in waters east of Taiwan. This 

 species reaches 3 m in length and 500 kg in weight. 

 Like the striped marlin, the blue marlin is consid- 

 ered a delicacy by the Chinese people. 



4. Black marlin, Makaira indica. 



In Chinese the black marlin is called "Pai-Pi Ch'i 

 Yii"; also called "Kyau-sh'ih-a" or Peh-phe Ki 

 Hi" by local fishermen. Black marlin are found 

 throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of 



Table 2. — Annual landings (in metric tons) of billfishes by 

 species in Taiwan, 1962-1971. 







Sword- 



Striped 



Blue 



Black 





Year 



Total 



fish 



marlin 



marlin 



marlin 



Sailfish 1 





























1962 



9,027 



774 



761 



1,193 



2,567 



3,732 



1963 



10,915 



723 



1,188 



1,379 



2,656 



4,969 



1964 



9,167 



584 



1,000 



1,808 



2,563 



3.212 



1965 



8,667 



540 



1,001 



2,127 



2,323 



2.676 



1966 



10,404 



885 



1,191 



2,031 



3,163 



3.134 



1967 



11,297 



1,258 



1,472 



2,658 



2.390 



3.519 



1968 



16,012 



1,950 



1.648 



4,407 



2.869 



5,138 



1969 



17,994 



2,643 



2,747 



4,525 



3,409 



4.670 



1970 



15,502 



2,369 



2,522 



4,412 



2,675 



3,524 



1971 



16,573 



2,543 



1,796 



4,261 



3,616 



4,357 



'Other unidentified marlins are included under "Sailfish.'" 



333 



