Southeast US North Atlantic swordfish
MSC status
Certified as sustainable in December 2011.
Summary
Species: Broadbill swordfish (Xiphias gladius)
Location: North Atlantic (Florida East Coast). Swordfish are caught commercially in state and federal waters, predominantly from federal waters on the Florida East coast between Fort Pierce and Florida Straits (U.S. South Atlantic Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)).
Fishing methods: Pelagic longline and handgear buoy line
Vessels:
Number of fisheries: 1
More about swordfish
Swordfish are cosmopolitan, and can be found in the tropical and temperate waters of all the oceans between 45oN and 44oS. Over the range of the swordfish, variation in the distribution by size and sex is evident, both geographically and vertically. Larger individuals are found in deeper colder waters and males are more prevalent in warmer waters than females.
Swordfish mostly spawn in the western warm tropical and subtropical waters throughout the year, although seasonality has been reported in some of these areas.The size at sexual maturity of swordfish varies with location. The SCRS has adopted the size at first maturity (L50%) of 179cm (5 years) for swordfish in the North Atlantic stock.Swordfish can reach a maximum weight in excess of 500 kg with females growing faster than males and reaching a larger maximum size.
More about the fishing methods
Pelagic longline gear is composed of several parts. The primary fishing line, or mainline of the longline system, can vary from five to 40 miles in length, with approximately 20 to 30 hooks per mile. The depth of the mainline is determined by ocean currents and the length of the floatline, which connects the mainline to several buoys, and periodic markers which can have radar reflectors or radio beacons attached. Each individual hook is connected by a leader to the mainline. Lightsticks, which contain chemicals that emit a glowing light.When targeting swordfish, the lines generally are deployed at sunset and hauled at sunrise to take advantage of swordfish nocturnal near-surface feeding habits.
Fishery tonnage
200 metric tonnes
Commercial market
The fresh market in the US
Actual eligibility date
8 December 2011
