| Swordfish | |
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Family: |
Xiphiidae (Swordfishes) |
Genus and Species: |
Xiphias gladius |
Description: |
The body of the swordfish is elongate and somewhat compressed. The upper jaw is very much extended, forming a long, flat sword. The color is dark gray to black above becoming gray to yellowish below. Swordfish are readily distinguished from other billfish by their flattened bills, lack of fins on the belly, and the presence of only one keel (small projection) on the base of the tail adjoining the fish. |
Range: |
Swordfish occur worldwide in temperate and tropical seas. Off southern California, they are most commonly encountered between the mainland and the Channel Islands. |
Natural History: |
The diet of swordfish includes fishes such as anchovies, hake, jack mackerel, rockfishes, lanternfishes, pencil smelt, as well as squid. Swordfish do not spawn off the coast of California, but in 1958 a ripe female was harpooned off Santa Catalina Island. It contained an estimated 50 million eggs. In areas like the Mediterranean, where spawning has been studied, some females lay eggs during every month of the year, but the spawning peak is in June and July. The eggs take 2.5 days to hatch. While there is little information available on swordfish age and growth, they probably grow quite rapidly and do not live for a great number of years. |
Fishing Information: |
Swordfish are taken from May through November, and occasionally landed in December. The average California recreational fishery take is between 10 and 20 fish per year, but more than 125 fish were landed in 1978, the best year on record. Most recreational fishing for swordfish involves visually searching for a fish that is finning (presenting itself at the surface) and then maneuvering a baited hook in front of it. Live Pacific mackerel or dead squid are the preferred baits, although some anglers use live California barracuda. Once hooked, swordfish are strong and stubborn fighters with average encounters lasting more than 4 hours. Some fish are landed in short time (10 to 15 minutes) because the fish may swim within gaffing distance of the boat early in the battle. Most fish taken off southern California weigh between 100 to 300 pounds. Occasionally, a fish weighing more than 400 pounds is landed. |
Other Common Names: |
broadbill, broadbill swordfish. |
Largest Recorded: |
15 feet; 503 pounds (California). |
Habitat: |
Pelagic Environment |
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