Blue Marlin

Makaira nigricans

Depth0–2,000 ft +

Blue marlin run the Gulf Stream edge each spring into summer — the same fishery Hemingway found in Bimini through the 1930s, and the reason the Bimini Big Game Club anchors the island's big-game reputation.

Typical150–400 lb
Largest recorded1,402 lb16 ft 5 in
Depth range0–3,280 ftspecies-wide
IGFA all-tackle1,402 lb 2 ozVitoria, Brazil · 1992

How big, really

A blue marlin and a six-foot adult, drawn to one scale.

A six-foot adult man standing for scale, drawn to the same scale as the fish — Both drawn to one scale from the sourced length below. The fish is an illustration, not a photograph; the human figure is a stipulated 6 ft (1.83 m) reference, not a measurement.

Blue Marlin drawn 16 ft 5 in long beside a six-foot adult at the same scale — Both drawn to one scale from the sourced length below. The fish is an illustration, not a photograph; the human figure is a stipulated 6 ft (1.83 m) reference, not a measurement.

The blue marlin year

Twelve months around the dial, straight from the island's season data — peak months reach the outer ring. Pick a month to see what else is running. Peak: Apr, May, Jun, Jul.

Field notes

How it is fished: Trolling rigged natural baits (ballyhoo, mackerel, mullet) and artificial lures along current edges, weedlines, and the continental-shelf drop-off; live-baiting is also used.
What it eats: Primarily fish near the surface — mackerels, tunas, dolphinfish — plus octopus and squid; feeds by day.
Depth: FishBase: 0-1,000 m (0-3,280 ft); typically found above the thermocline near the surface in warm water, feeding by day.
Worth knowing: The exact function of a blue marlin's bill is still scientifically debated — researchers question whether it is used actively to slash and stun prey in lateral strikes or serves a primarily hydrodynamic role, contrary to the popular idea that it is mainly a spear.
Conservation & rules: IUCN Red List: Vulnerable (2021/2022 assessment) — population declined an estimated 33-37% over three generations (about 27 years, 1987/89-2014/16). NOAA/ICCAT's 2024 assessment lists Atlantic blue marlin as currently overfished; the U.S. recreational fishery is catch-and-release only, with combined blue marlin/white marlin/roundscale spearfish landings capped nationally at 250 fish per year.

The record

1,402 lb 2 ozIGFA all-tackle world record

Angler Paulo Amorim · Vitoria, Brazil · 1992 · 13 ft 6 in long · 98 in girth

Source

Where it lives

The island's relief model with bluewater lit — 2,000 ft +, the Gulf Stream edge, a mile off the beach. Drag it to change the angle.

4 of 8 mapped — 4 without usable coordinates, all listed belowEvery charter and guide the directory holds. Which boats work which water changes with the season and the weather — ask when you call.Seabed: GMRT · Coastline: © OpenStreetMap contributors

The Bimini story

Blue marlin running the Gulf Stream edge each spring into summer is the same fishery Ernest Hemingway fished out of Bimini through the 1930s, and is the historical foundation of the Bimini Big Game Club's big-game-fishing reputation (club founded 1936, shortly after Hemingway's celebrated 1935 season).

Sources

What we could not verify (3)

Typical length range (only weight range sourced).
The claimed 1,060 lb blue marlin as 'largest fish ever caught in the Bahamas' (Bimini, 1979) — secondary source only.
IGFA record could not be re-confirmed directly on igfa.org's live database; relied on secondary reporting (Outdoor Life) consistent across multiple sources.