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

· University of Georgia Press
Ebook
216
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About this ebook

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.
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 centurie...

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About the author

STAN ULANSKI is professor emeritus of meteorology, oceanography, and marine resources in the Geology and Environmental Science Department at James Madison University. He is the author of The Billfish Story (Georgia), The California Current, and The Gulf Stream. Although born in New York City, his summer vacations to the New Jersey shore forever changed how he viewed the ocean and its inhabitants. Ulanski lives and writes in coastal Virginia where fishing and boating on the Chesapeake Bay allow him to spend time on the water quite often.
STAN ULANSKI is professor emeritus of meteorology, oceanography, and marine resources in the Geology and Environmental Science Department at James Madison University. He is the author of The Billfish Story (Georgia), The California Current, and The Gulf Stream. Although born in New York City, his...

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