Kajikia albida
A smaller, acrobatic marlin, a summer benchmark in São Paulo and Rio. Fights with jumps and requires light tackle and fine technique.
Also called: agulhão-branco, marlim-branco, white marlin
The white marlin is the smallest marlin in the Atlantic and one of the most technical fish in offshore fishing. In Brazil it rarely exceeds 35 kg, but it makes up for it with jumps, runs, and cunning: it often hits the bait several times before taking it. It lives in warm oceanic waters but tolerates somewhat cooler temperatures than the blue marlin, so it appears regularly in the Southeast and South. It follows current edges and schools of squid, sardines, and flying fish. Ilhabela and Santos/Guarujá in São Paulo, and Cabo Frio in Rio, are summer benchmarks. Fishing is catch and release: sale is prohibited and ICCAT maintains a stock recovery plan.
Slender body, much smaller than the blue marlin's. First dorsal and first anal fins with rounded tips; at the front, the dorsal is taller than the body and has black spots. Rounded-tip pectoral fins. Simple, visible lateral line. The blue marlin has a pointed, low dorsal and is much heavier. The sailfish has a sail-shaped dorsal, tall along almost its whole length, and long, thin pelvic fins.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Open sea from the Northeast to the South, most sought after in the Southeast. Benchmarks: Ilhabela and Santos/Guarujá (SP), on the shelf edge; Cabo Frio, Arraial do Cabo, and Rio de Janeiro (RJ); Vitória (ES), where it shares grounds with the blue marlin. It also occurs off Santa Catarina and the Northeast.
Habitat: Blue oceanic water, in the 0 to 150 m layer, over the shelf edge and the slope. Likes current edges, water-color lines, seamounts, and bait patches.
coast
states
Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul
In the Southeast the season runs from December to March, peaking in February, when warm water reaches the shelf edge. Off Espírito Santo and the Northeast it can appear in other months, less regularly.
Daytime. Active by day, with good strikes in the early morning and late afternoon. Usually travels in pairs or trios: if one shows up, leave the other baits in the water.
Water below 21 °C empties the grounds. Thermal breaks and the edge of warm water concentrate the fish.
The cold front cools and muddies the surface; fishing returns 2 to 3 days later, once the sea settles.
Small effect. Some skippers prefer quarter moons, with steadier current.
Light rain doesn't bother. Thunderstorm with lightning in open sea: head back.
Not applicable at sea. The equivalent is the color and clarity of the water: look for blue, clean water and current lines.
Motor and teasers attract. Avoid sharp maneuvers when the fish is behind the baits.
Light swell helps; strong wind breaks up the spread and makes fishing dangerous.
The tide matters little; current and current turns matter more.
Stays in the top 150 m. Fish over bottoms of 100 to 1,500 m, at the shelf edge.
lures
natural baits
accessories
Use the bait-and-switch: troll teasers without hooks and, when the marlin appears, offer the natural bait on a circle hook. When you feel the touch, let out line for 3 to 5 seconds (drop-back), and only then set the drag.
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Conservation: It was VU under Portaria MMA 148/2022 and left the list in 2026. Sale remains prohibited (IN SEAP 12/2005), and under the ICCAT recovery plan, which manages the stock together with the roundscale spearfish.
Blue and white marlins that reach the boat alive must be returned to the sea. Sale in the domestic market and export are prohibited; landed specimens must be donated to scientific or charitable institutions. Cutting the first dorsal and first anal fins aboard is prohibited. Text confirmed in a legislation database; confirm it is in force with the MPA.
ICCAT, of which Brazil is a member, requires countries to ensure release with the least possible harm, a minimum retention size of 168 cm LJFL (from the tip of the lower jaw to the tail fork) for white marlin, and a ban on selling marlins caught recreationally. The national rule is stricter: live marlin must be released.
Keep the fish in the water, control it by the bill with a glove, and remove the hook with a hook remover. Revive it with the boat moving slowly. Don't haul it aboard for a photo.
Not applicable: sale prohibited and release of live fish mandatory.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00136664, b = 3.14; FishBase (estimativa bayesiana, comprimento total); coeficiente a ajustado ao porte máximo registrado). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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The season weights (months), the time of day and the sensitivities (cold, pressure, moon, wind, rain, tide, strong light, murky water and noise) are the app's editorial estimates, based on the literature below and on the field experience of anglers and guides. They are not official data nor a measurement made for this species, and they may vary by region and year. Closed seasons and legal rules appear in the rules section, with the norm and a link.
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