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Species

Swordfish

Swordfish, also called broadbill, the only member of its family: a flat sword, no scales and no teeth as adults, and a discipline of its own for anglers, swordfishing with baits several hundred metres deep.

Xiphias gladius

Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) in side view

Photo: Derke Snodgrass, NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC/SFD; Bearbeitung: Haplochromis, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, adjusted to 3:2

Spawning
In the Atlantic it spawns all year, mainly April to September in the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, off Florida and in the southern Sargasso Sea (German Wikipedia); FishBase gives spring in the southern Sargasso Sea, at 0 to 75 m and about 23 °C. Off southern Brazil from November to February (Wikipedia). A 168 kg female carried 1 to 16 million eggs, a 272 kg female 29 million (FishBase).
Typical method
Deep dropping by day: baits with 2.5 kg or more of weight down to about 460 m, boat drifting (Wikipedia)
Top bait
Whole squid
Plan a day fishing for Swordfish

How to recognise it

Easily confused with: Marlins and sailfish have a bill that is round in cross-section, pelvic fins and two keels on each side of the tail base (German Wikipedia). In the swordfish the first dorsal fin is short and sits right behind the head (German Wikipedia).

How to catch it

Methods: Deep dropping by day: baits with 2.5 kg or more of weight down to about 460 m, boat drifting (Wikipedia), Night drifting with baits fished shallower, usually under 90 m (Wikipedia), Marking baits with glow sticks or waterproof lights (Wikipedia), Heavy rods and reels, long fights (Wikipedia)

Baits: Whole squid, Whole mackerel, Mullet, Bonito, Squid imitation with a light

At night swordfish rise to feed near the surface; by day they mostly stay deep, down to 550 m (Wikipedia), which is why anglers fish shallow at night and deep drop by day. In summer they move into temperate waters (FishBase); ask locally for the season in each area (rule of thumb).

Habitat and food

Worldwide in tropical, temperate and sometimes cold seas, including the Mediterranean, Sea of Marmara, Black Sea and Sea of Azov; from the surface to 2878 m, usually 0 to 550 m, at 5 to 27 °C, preferring 18 to 22 °C (FishBase). Oceanic, sometimes near the coast; moves to temperate or cold waters to feed in summer and back to warm water in autumn (FishBase). Mostly deep by day, at the surface at night (Wikipedia).

Mainly fish such as Atlantic mackerel, barracudinas, silver hake, redfish, herring and lanternfish, plus crustaceans and squid; kills prey with its sword (FishBase). In the northwest Atlantic 82 percent of 168 stomachs examined contained squid and 53 percent fish (Wikipedia). Hunts from the surface to the bottom (FishBase).

Size and age

FishBase: max. 455 cm fork length, commonly around 300 cm, maximum published weight 650 kg, mean length at maturity 212 cm. Wikipedia gives 682 kg in its description, maturity at 4 to 5 years, and the oldest fish studied as a 16-year-old female and a 12-year-old male. IGFA all-tackle record according to Wikipedia: 536 kg (1,182 lb) off Chile, 1953. Males rarely exceed 140 kg; in the western Atlantic swordfish reach up to 320 kg (German Wikipedia).

Protection and rules

Conservation status: IUCN: Near Threatened (assessed 1 May 2021; FishBase). USA, Atlantic and Gulf: HMS Angling permit or HMS Charter/Headboat permit for the vessel (NOAA Fisheries, retrieved 21 Oct 2026). Minimum size 47 inches lower-jaw fork length or 25 inches cleithrum to caudal keel (NOAA Fisheries). With an HMS Angling permit one fish per person, up to four per vessel per trip; charter boats one per paying passenger, up to six; headboats up to 15; none may be kept if a hammerhead or oceanic whitetip shark is on board (NOAA Fisheries). Pacific off California, Oregon and Washington: charter vessels need a Pacific HMS permit (NOAA Fisheries). A state saltwater licence is also required (NOAA Fisheries).
Rules in the USA

In the USA, each state sets its own size limits, bag limits and seasons. Pescaday does not list these rules yet: check them with the fish and wildlife agency of the state you fish in. Fishing licence USA: agency by state

In Germany we found no minimum size or closed season for this species in any state fisheries regulation.

In the kitchen

Good food fish, fresh or frozen, for sashimi, teriyaki or fillets (FishBase), usually as grilled steaks (Wikipedia). Large fish can accumulate a lot of mercury (FishBase); the US FDA advises young children, pregnant women and women planning a pregnancy not to eat swordfish (Wikipedia).

Sources (7)

Last checked 2026-10-22. Found a mistake? Write to [email protected].

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