Facts about Swordfish
The International Game Fish Association's all-tackle angling record for a swordfish is a 1,182 pound (536.15 kg) specimen taken off Chile in 1953.
The suborder includes species that likely are the fastest swimming fish in the world, including bluefin tuna, swordfish, and sailfish (Nelson 1994, p. 424).
Female swordfish grow larger than males, with fish over 300 pounds (135 kilograms) mostly being female (Gardieff 2008).
Swordfish grow very large, reaching a maximum size of 177 inches (455 centimeters) and 1,400 pounds (650 kilograms) (Gardieff 2008).
Mainly the swordfish relies on its great speed and agility in the water to catch its prey.
The resulting "Give Swordfish a Break" promotion was wildly successful, with 750 prominent US chefs agreeing to remove North Atlantic swordfish from their menus.
The 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists the swordfish conservation status as "data deficient," with the last assessment in 1996 (Safina 1996).
Recreational swordfishing throughout the world, and especially in South Florida, has gained tremendous popularity.
Subsequently, the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed a swordfish protection plan that incorporated the campaign's policy suggestions.
Novice anglers often mistake the swordfish for a sailfish, with which it shares a striking resemblance.
The swordfish is named after its sharp bill, resembling a sword (Latin gladius), which together with its streamlined physique allows it to cut through the water with great ease and agility.
The recovery is far from complete and is not a fraction of what it was in the '70s when recreational swordfish was discovered off the coast of South Florida.
Adults swordfish have few natural enemies, with the exception of large sharks and sperm and killer whales.
Adult swordfish forage includes pelagic fish, including small tuna, dorado, barracuda, flying fish, and mackerel, as well as benthic species of hake and rockfish.
Swordfish feed daily, most often at night when they rise to surface and near-surface waters in search of smaller fish.
Experienced angles remark that pound for pound, the swordfish are perhaps the strongest fish in the sea.
Commercially, swordfish were harvested by a variety of methods at small scale until the global expansion of long-line fishing.