Take Marlin Off the Menu

Citing declining stocks of marlin and other billfish, a new coalition is calling on chefs and consumers to "Take Marlin Off the Menu." The coalition includes the International Game Fish Association, the National Coalition for Marine Conservation, and The Billfish Foundation.

"Billfish populations have plunged over the past several decades as a direct result of commercial tuna and swordfish fleets that catch marlin either through long-lining or through netting," according to the coalition. "On the other hand ... most sport fishermen now practice catch and release of marlin and other billfish, a conservation ethic in keeping with the catch and release of other freshwater and saltwater fish species throughout North America."

Commercial fishing of marlin, sailfish and spearfish is illegal in the Atlantic Ocean, so most marlin in restaurants and supermarkets comes from the Pacific. However, the coalition said the standards are lax and that there is no real way to track the origin of these migratory fish.