Billfish In The Indian Ocean
Of the twelve species of billfish, there are six species of Billfish in the Indian Ocean. Background The term billfish refers to the large fishes of the family Istiophoridae, comprising marlin and sailfish, and of the family Xiphiidae, comprising swordfish. Billfish are epipelagic and highly migratory fishes found throughout the world's oceans, typically inhabiting the coastal and offshore waters of tropical and temperate oceans. They are normally found in the upper 200 metres of water layers above the thermocline but may occur in  depths up to 800 metres. They migrate into temperate or cold waters for feeding and back to tropical waters for spawning. They are “characterized by the prolongation of the upper jaw, much beyond the lower jaw into a long  rostrum which is flat and swordlike (swordfish) or rounded and spearlike (sailfishes, spearfishes and marlins).” All billfish species are sexually dimorphic with the females attaining larger sizes than males. Spawning occur ...
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Billfish
The term billfish refers to a group of saltwater predatory fish characterised by prominent pointed bills (rostra), and by their large size; some are longer than . Extant billfish include sailfish and marlin, which make up the family Istiophoridae; and swordfish, sole member of the family Xiphiidae. They are apex predators which feed on a wide variety of smaller fish, crustaceans and cephalopods. These two families are sometimes classified as belonging to the order Istiophoriformes, a group which originated around 71 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous, with the two families diverging around 15 million years ago in the Late Miocene. However, they are also classified as being closely related to the mackerels and tuna within the suborder Scombroidei of the order Perciformes. However, the 5th edition of the ''Fishes of the World'' does recognise the Istiophoriformes as a valid order, albeit including the Sphyraenidae, the barracudas. Billfish are pelagic and highly migrato ...
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