Striped Marlin

Work on striped marlin, Tetrapturus audax

Despite their ability to migrate for thousands of kilometers, striped marlin show significant genetic differences between geographic locations (Graves and McDowell 1994). Ph.D. student Catherine Purcell is further investigating this pattern and its underlying mechanism, using mtDNA and microsatellites to type both adults and larvae sampled throughout the Pacific. She is also working to develop sex-specific molecular markers that would allow gender to be determined without killing the animal.