AN AGGRESSIVE ENCOUNTER BETWEENA POD OF WHALES AND BILLFISHPETER F. MAJOR/vlarine j\Jammal Commission, rVashington, D.C.

An aggressive interaction or " battle " between a pod of large unidentified whales
and a group of billfish, also unidentified (but probably marlin in the family lstiophoridae ), was observed in August 1951, near Kahuku Point, the northern most
tip of the island of Oahu in the Hawaiian Archipelago. The interaction lasted
approximately 5-10 minutes and occurred in calm water at approximately 1230
hours local time, about 0.9 to 1.9 km due north of a position, 21°42.2'N, 158°01 'W,
on the beach, and about 2.2 to 2.4 km due west of Kahuku Point. Based oncharted (U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Chart No. 4110) depths, the interaction
occurred on the surface over, what is thought to be, water with depths of about
11-35 m.
Splashing, boils of water and the backs of large whales breaking the surface
were initially seen. The first evidence that billfish were involved, was the rollingto its right of a whale, such that a billfish, firmly embedded in the whale's left
flank, was lifted clear of the water to a near vertical position above the whale.
The billfish thrashed back and forth, snapped off its bill and fell into the water
as the whale turned upright and submerged. Minutes later another billfish waslifted out of the water to a position about one-half to one-quarter from the verticalabove a whale. The whale rolled back into the water with the billfish still embedded. Splashing, water boils and the backs of whales were seen for an additional
few minutes, and then abruptly stopped.
Evidence, that interactions between whales and billfish occur, has beenoccasionally reported in the literature (Ruud, 1952;Jonsgard, 1959, 1962; Nemoto,1959; Brown, 1960; Machida, 1970; Ohsumi, 1973). The principal evidence
has been the finding of the S\,rnrds of billfish embedded in whales taken by whaling
vessels. Sonrel (1870, p. 144) and Brown (1960) recount observed interactions between whales and billfish. The present report provides additional evidence of suchencounters, and suggests how both whole and fractured swords result and becomeembedded in whales.
REFERENCES
1960. Swordfish and whales. Norsk Hvaifangst-Tid., 48 (8): 345-51.
1959. New find of sword from sword-fish (Xiphias gladius) in the blue whale (Balaenopteramusculus) in Antarctic. Norsk Hvaifangst-Tid., 48 (7): 352-60.
]ONSGARD, A., 1962. Three finds of swords from swordfish (Xiphias gladius) in the Antarctic fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus L.). Norsk Hvalfangst-Tid., 51 (7): 287-91.
MACHIDA, S., 1970. A swordfish sword found from a North Pacific sei whale. Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst.
BROWN, S. G.,]ONSGARD, A.,

Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst.,
No. 31, 1979, 95-96

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22: 163-164.
NEMOTO, T., 1959. Food of baleen whales with reference to whale movements. Sci. Rep. vVhales Res. Inst.,
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0HSUMI, S., 1973. Find of marlin spears from the Antarctic minke whales. Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst., 25:237-239.
Ruun, J. T., 1952. Do sword-fish attack the large whales? Norsk Hvalfa11gst-Tid., 41 (4): 191-3.
SoNREL, L., 1870. The Bottom of the Sea. Sampson Low, Son, and Marston, London, 144 pp.

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No. 31, 1979