World Record ~ 1560 Lbs Caught at Cabo Blanco, Peru on Aug. 4, 1953. The angler was A.C. Glassell Jr.
Scientific name ~ Makaira Indica
Other names ~ Pacific Black Marlin, Giant Black Marlin
Identification ~ The color on the back is dark blue to black with occasional vertical bars which may not be obvious after death. The belly is silvery white and the first dorsal fin is low and rounded less that 1/2 of body depth and the second dorsal fin begins in front of second anal fin. The pectoral fin are rigid in adults and are more flexible in juveniles but will not lay flat against body without the joints breaking. The pelvic fin is short. Like all marlins the Black Marlin has a distinctive bill.
Size ~ The Black Marlin is one of the largest of the Marlin which average from 200 lbs to 400 lbs, but have been caught over 1000 lbs. The females are the larger with a world record of 1560 lbs off Peru. The male Black Marlin rarely are more than 300 lbs. 
Habitat ~ The Black Marlin prefer a warmer water temperature from 68 to 86 Fahrenheit and tends to found around islands and reef systems. Black marlin are found almost entirely in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In tropical areas distribution is scattered but continuous in open waters;
Feeding Habits ~ Black Marlin feed on fishes, squids, cuttlefishes, octopods, large decapod crustaceans and mostly on small tunas when abundant.