The Billfish Story: Swordfish, Sailfish, Marlin, and Other Gladiators of the Sea


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Description

The billfish is fixed at the apex of the oceanic food chain. Composed of sailfish, marlin, spearfish, and swordfish, they roam the pelagic waters of the Atlantic and are easily recognized by their long, spear-like beaks. Noted for their speed, size, and acrobatic jumps, billfish have for centuries inspired a broad spectrum of society. Even in antiquity, Aristotle, who assiduously studied the swordfish, named this gladiator of the sea xiphias--the sword.

The Billfish Story tells the saga of this unique group of fish and those who have formed bonds with them--relationships forged by anglers, biologists, charter-boat captains, and conservationists through their pursuit, study, and protection of these species. More than simply reciting important discoveries, Stan Ulanski argues passionately that billfish occupy a position of unique importance in our culture as a nexus linking natural and human history. Ulanski, both a scientist and an angler, brings a rich background to the subject in a multifaceted approach that will enrich not only readers' appreciation of billfish but the whole of the natural world.

Author: Stan Ulanski
Publisher: University of Georgia Press
Published: 05/01/2016
Pages: 232
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.60h x 5.70w x 0.60d
ISBN13: 9780820349756
ISBN10: 0820349755
BISAC Categories:
- Nature | Animals | Fish
- Nature | Animals | Marine Life
- Science | Life Sciences | Zoology | Ichthyology & Herpetology

About the Author
STAN ULANSKI is a professor of meteorology, oceanography, and marine resources in the Geology and Environmental Science Department at James Madison University. He is the author of The California Current: A Pacific Ecosystem and Its Fliers, Divers, and Swimmers and The Gulf Stream: Tiny Plankton, Giant Bluefin, and the Amazing Story of the Powerful River in the Atlantic.