Update of scientific observations of white marlin (kajikia albida) in the spanish surface longline fishing fleet targeting swordfish in the Atlantic in the period 1993-2018
A description of 1710 individuals recorded as white marlin during the period 1993-2018 is
presented. 21% of the fishing sets were positive for the capture of at least one specimen for
those areas considered. The overall prevalence of this species over all fish species combined
was 0.65% in number and 0.52% in weight. The overall prevalence over Istiophoridae was
25.12% and 12.61% in number and weight, respectively. A discussion on the applicability of
these values is included. Sizes were between 95 and 285 cm LJFL but catches of individuals
smaller than 145 cm are very rare. The overall sex-ratio of females was 42.5%. Sex-ratio at size
indicates an increase in the percentage of females in sizes larger than 165 cm. Only 7 females
of the total 170 females with gonads analyzed presented a high gonadosomatic index. Overall
nominal CPUE in weight was higher for males (2.70 kg DW/1000 hooks) than females (1.81 kg
DW/1000 hooks). For the whole period analyzed, 16.3% of the specimens observed were
discarded and 7.5% were released alive, although different patterns can be discerned over time
