Description: A very large and robust oceanic billfish. Snout ending in a long, flattened sword-like bill. Two widely separated dorsal fins in adults (continuous in juveniles); the first one large and high, the second tiny. Anal fins also two, a larger one and a separate tiny one. No pelvic fins. A single, strong keel on each side of the caudal peduncle. Scales are visible in juveniles but in adults they become deeply embedded in the skin and are no longer visible. Blackish-brown dorsally, fading to light brown below; fins brown.
Global Distribution: Worldwide in tropical, temperate and sometimes cold waters, including the Mediterranean and Black Sea. View Map
BIOLOGICAL FEATURES
Size: Maximum length 455 cm (fork length); common length 300 cm (total length); maximum published weight 650.0 kg.
Reproduction: Batch spawners. Spawning takes place in Atlantic during spring in southern Sargasso Sea.
Maturity: 221.0 cm, range 156 - 250 cm.
Behavioural ecology: They use their sword to kill the prey.
Population structure & migrations: Highly migratory species. Migrate toward temperate or cold waters in the summer and back to warm waters in the fall.
Mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals genetic differentiation between populations inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea and the tropical Atlantic ocean, indicating little genetic exchange occurring between the two.
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES
Depth range: FishBase: 0 - 800 m, usually 0 - 550 m.
Habitat: Pelagic. Oceanic but sometimes found in coastal waters. Generally above the thermocline, preferring temperatures of 18°C to 22°C. Larvae are frequently encountered at temperatures above 24 °C.
Feeding habits: Sword is well developed at a length of 10mm and young live pelagically in the upper water layers where they quickly develop into very voracious predators. Adults are opportunistic feeders, known to forage for their food from the surface to the bottom over a wide depth range. Feed mainly on pelagic fishes (including clupeids, engraulids, scombrids, Alepisaurus spp., Coryphaena spp., Sphyraena spp., Thunnus spp.) and squids; also crustaceans. Adults often descend into deep water to fish on benthic fishes such as macrourids, phycids, scorpaenids, an trichiurids.
Trophic level: FishBase: 4.5
FISHERIES
Commercial interest: Commercial species. Also gamefish.
Conservation status: Global: Least concern.
Europe: Least concern.
IUCN (2014). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. www.iucnredlist.org
McEachran J.D., Fechhelm J.D. (2006). Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. Vol. 2. Scorpaeniformes to Tetraodontiformes. University of Texas Press, Texas, USA, 1008 pp.
Nakamura I. (1985). FAO Species Catalogue Vol. 5. Billfishes of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of marlins, sailfishes, spearfishes and swordfishes known to date. FAO Fisheries Synopsis 125, Vol. 5, 65 pp.
Nieto A., Ralph G.M., Comeros-Raynal M.T., Kemp J., GarcÃa Criado M., Allen D.J., Dulvy N.K., Walls R.H.L., Russell B., Pollard D., GarcÃa S., Craig M., Collette B.B., Pollom R., Biscoito M., Labbish Chao N., Abella A., Afonso P., Ãlvarez H., Carpenter K.E., Clò S., Cook R., Costa M.J., Delgado J., Dureuil M., Ellis J.R., Farrell E.D., Fernandes P., Florin A-B., Fordham S., Fowle, S., Gil de Sola L., Gil Herrera J., Goodpaster A., Harvey M., Heessen H., Herler J., Jung A., Karmovskaya E., Keskin C., Knudsen S.W., Kobyliansky S., KovaÄić M., Lawson J.M., Lorance P., McCully Phillips S., Munroe T., Nedreaas K., Nielsen J., Papaconstantinou C., Polidoro B., Pollock C.M., Rijnsdorp A.D., Sayer C., Scott J., Serena F., Smith-Vaniz W.F., Soldo A., Stump E., Williams J.T. (2015). Europen Red List of Marine Fishes. IUCN and European Union, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 90 pp.
