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SwordFish
| SWORDFISH Family - Xiphiidae Genus - Xiphias Species - gladius |
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Taxonomy
Xiphias gladius. Translated to English, the Latin term gladius means "sword", referring to the long sword-like bill.
Common Names
English language common names include swordfish, broadbill, broadbill swordfish, and sword fish.
Geographical Distribution
The swordfish is found in oceanic regions worldwide, including the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. It is found in tropical, temperate, and sometimes cold waters, with a latitudinal range of approximately 60°N to 45°S. The swordfish is a highly migratory species, generally moving to warmer waters in the winter and cooler waters in the summer. It is often present in frontal zones, areas where ocean currents collide and productivity is high.
Habitat
Generally an oceanic species, the swordfish is primarily a midwater fish at depths of 650-1970 feet (200-600 m) and water temperatures of 64 to 71°F (18-22°C). Although mainly a warm-water species, the swordfish has the widest temperature tolerance of any billfish, and can be found in waters from 41-80°F (5-27°C). The swordfish is commonly observed in surface waters, although it is believed to swim to depths of 2,100 feet (650 m) or greater, where the water temperature may be just above freezing. One adaptation which allows for swimming in such cold water is the presence of a "brain heater," a large bundle of tissue associated with one of the eye muscles, which insulates and warms the brain. Blood is supplied to the tissue through a specialized vascular heat exchanger, similar to the counter current exchange found in some tunas. This helps prevent rapid cooling and damage to the brain as a result of extreme vertical movements.
Fishing for Swordfish
For the typical sport fisherman the time to fish for swordfish is at night. Satellite tracking of some tagged swordfish have shown that during daylight hours swordfish often hung out around 1,700 to 2,000 feet down. After sunset they rise to between 100 and 300 feet of the surface. August through October are the best months for swordfish off the Stuart/Jupiter coast.
