Top Striped Marlin Fishing Countries

The striped marlin (*Kajikia audax*) is a strikingly beautiful and powerful pelagic game fish, recognized by its long, slender body, vibrant blue stripes, and spear-like bill. Renowned for their acrobatic leaps and speed, striped marlin are highly prized by sport anglers, making them a cornerstone of recreational fishing tourism in several countries. The top striped marlin fishing countries include Mexico (notably Baja California and the waters off Cabo San Lucas), New Zealand, Japan, Australia, and the United States (especially Hawaii and Southern California). These nations boast productive offshore fisheries where the warm currents attract abundant marlin populations, supporting both commercial and recreational fishing industries. While some countries, like Japan, maintain significant commercial harvests, others, such as New Zealand and Mexico, have developed robust catch-and-release sport fisheries, contributing to local economies through tourism while promoting conservation of this iconic species.

Rank	Country	Metric Tons
1	Iran (Islamic Republic of)	1,736
2	Ecuador	1,577
3	Indonesia	891
4	Japan	889
5	Pakistan	845
6	Taiwan Province of China	818
7	Costa Rica	528
8	Spain	385
9	United States of America	367
10	China	356
11	New Caledonia	132
12	Sri Lanka	109
13	Republic of Korea	82
14	French Polynesia	74
15	Vanuatu	71
16	Australia	60
17	Portugal	33
18	Seychelles	32
19	Kiribati	27
20	Tonga	19
21	Fiji	12
21	Marshall Islands	12
23	Solomon Islands	8
24	France	7
25	Cook Islands	6
26	Samoa	5
26	Comoros	5
28	Papua New Guinea	4
28	Belize	4
30	Madagascar	3
33	Niue	2
33	Micronesia (Federated States of)	2
33	Mauritius	2
33	Chile	2
33	Malaysia	2
37	Mexico	1
37	South Africa	1
37	Réunion	1
37	Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	1

Data from FAO. 2025. Global Capture Production. In: Fisheries and Aquaculture.