Average speed: 50 mph
Marlin's common name is thought to derive from its resemblance to a sailor's marlinspike. Marlin are incredibly fast swimmers, reaching speeds of about 68 mph. Predators include the white shark and shortfin mako.
Marlin are rarely table fare, appearing mostly only in fine gourmet restaurants. The fisherman in Ernest Hemingway's novel The Old Man and the Sea was described as having caught an 18-foot (5.5 m) marlin.