Photo: Courtesy of Master Baiters Sportfishing & Tackle · Oct 2019
Black Marlin
Marlin negro
Istiompax indica · Istiophoridae
- Category
- Billfish
- Found in
- Pacific Baja, Sea of Cortez, Pacific Mainland
- IUCN status
- Data Deficient
- Mexico fish counts
- 6 counted
About Black Marlin in Mexico
How to recognize it
The giveaway is the pectoral fins. On a black marlin they stick straight out from the body and cannot be folded flat, even on a dead fish, while blue and striped marlin can tuck theirs in. The dorsal fin is comparatively low, the body is thick through the shoulders, and the back is slate to nearly black over a silvery belly. Light vertical bars may flash while the fish is excited but usually fade after it is boated.
Where and when in Mexico
Called marlin negro in Mexico, this is the least common of the three marlin off Baja and the Pacific mainland. Encounters cluster in the warm months, roughly summer into fall, on offshore banks and around bait-rich high spots off Los Cabos, along the Jalisco and Nayarit coast near Puerto Vallarta, and farther south. Sightings are sporadic from one year to the next. Mexico Fish Reports' counts reflect that rarity: the only tallies on record are a handful from Cabo San Lucas boats, all between 2006 and 2010.
How it's fished
Most black marlin in Mexico are hooked by crews slow-trolling live skipjack, bonito or small yellowfin over banks, or by boats pulling large lures for blue marlin. Heavy stand-up or chair tackle in the 80- to 130-pound class is standard, since a big fish can spend hours deep.
Good to know
Billfish are reserved for sportfishing in Mexican waters, and most crews release black marlin. Leaving the fish in the water for photos and reviving it alongside the boat gives it the best odds.
Fishing rules in Mexico
- Reserved for sportfishing within 50 nautical miles of the coast
- 1 per angler per day (picudos)
Source: LGPAS Art. 68; NOM-017-PESC-1994 §4.9.1 (2013 mod.). Rules change; confirm current limits, seasons and permits with CONAPESCA before you fish.
Where Black Marlin are caught in Mexico
- Cabo San Lucas 6 counted · last Dec 2010
Fish counts by year
| Year | Kept | Released | Trips |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 2008 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2006 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
From fish counts posted by the Mexican landings on Mexico Fish Reports. Years with no posted counts are not shown.
