The Marlin is a large game fish. It has an elongated body that in larger species can be in excess of 4 m long, a spearlike snout, and a long rigid dorsal fin which extends forwards to form a crest. Marlin are fast swimmers, occurring in all seas and hunting small and large fish.

The larger species include the Atlantic blue marlin, Makaira nigricans, which have been reliably recorded in excess of 5 m in length and 820 kg (1,800 lb) in weight, and black marlin, Makaira indica, which have been reliably recorded in excess of 5 m in length and 670 kg (1,470 lb) in weight. Marlins are very fast and can swim 100 m in about 4 seconds. They are popular sporting fishes in certain tropical areas and are also commercially important as a

food fish. Found in the waters off Hawaii, Florida, Venezuela and Australia, marlin is available in other parts of the world sold as steaks. These are best cooked under the grill, on a barbecue or as kebabs. The firm flesh can be used interchangeably for tuna in most recipes.

Most modern sport fishermen release marlin after unhooking. Some marlin that are top record setting fish are taken and weighed on shore. Those records are most often recorded in the IGFA World Record Game Fishes books.