Big game fishing in the northern Gulf of Mexico during 1979

"This is the ninth annual report on big game fishing in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The purpose of these reports was to present to the fishing constituents the results of analyses of the data that we collected from them in return for their cooperation in supplying us the data. These reports, produced for the benefit of fishermen, would not have been possible without the excellent cooperation given by sport fishermen, charter boat captains and other big game fishing enthusiasts. The study of big game fishes in the northern Gulf of Mexico began in 1970 after the resource potential was discovered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the mid-1950s. Although the study is conducted at the National Marine Fisheries Service (ATMFS) Panama City Laboratory, data collection is a function of the Technical and Information Management Services - Southeast Fisheries Center - for the Center's Oceanic Pelagics Program. The purposes of this study are to assess the stock status of blue marlin (Makaira nigricans), white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus), and sailfish (Istfophorus platXpterus); to determine their relative abundance and distribution; and to study their biology and ecology"--Introduction. Paul J. Pristas.