Note on the Feeding Habits of the Giant White Marlin 
of the Pacific^ 
On June 22, 1950, an 851-pound white or 
silver marlin, Makaira marlina (Jordan and 
Hill), was brought into the Kyodo Fishing 
Co., Ltd., at Honolulu as part of the com- 
mercial catch of the long-line fishing boat 
’’Monarch.” The specimen had been cut in 
two about midway between the operculum 
and the caudal fin as is common practice 
aboard local long-line vessels to facilitate 
stowage of large fish. It was noted in this 
particular specimen, however, that the stom- 
ach and part of the large intestine had been 
torn appreciably, leaving a sizable gap in the 
abdominal cavity. According to information 
given by Shigeo Yamaguchi, captain of the 
fishing boat, the marlin was caught on one 
of the long lines, at a depth of about 60 
fathoms, during fishing operations off Hana, 
Maui. When the fish was brought aboard it 
was observed that the abdomen was ab- 
normally swollen, and upon cutting the fish 
for stowage, a big-eyed tuna {Parathunnus 
sibi) was found lodged in the stomach. The 
tuna had been caught on the long line first, 
for the hook still was set in the tuna’s mouth 
when the specimen was removed from the 
^Published by permission of the U. S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service. 
Stomach of the marlin. The marlin evidently 
had found the hooked tuna an easy prey and 
swallowed it head-first. It appears that the 
latter is a common feeding practice of the 
large spearfishes as noted by Nakamura 
{Science of the Seas [Kaiyo no Kagaku] 3(10), 
October, 1943) . The tuna was removed from 
the stomach, and, since little digestive action 
had taken place, it was stowed as part of the 
catch. 
When brought into the market, the tuna 
was found to weigh 158 pounds, although 
the anterior portion of the head was missing, 
having been cut off when the marlin was sec- 
tioned. It measured 1373 mm. in length from 
the posterior margin of the orbit to the 
cartilaginous part of the median caudal rays. 
From the two pieces of the marlin, an ap- 
proximate length of 2994 mm. was obtained, 
as measured from the naris anteriorly to the 
median rays of the caudal fin posteriorly. 
Although it has been previously noted 
(Nakamura, op. cit.) that the giant spear- 
fishes can easily swallow adult skipjack, this 
is believed to be the largest single food item 
recorded for this group of fishes. — Fred C. 
June, Pacific Oceanic Fishery Investigations, 
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Honolulu, Ha- 
waii. 
1287 } 
