Swords Vs. Other Billfish

[jkapl001]

This is just a question. Why is it ok to keep swords but it is basically unethical to keep any other billfish? I assume there are just more swords than other billfish??? By the way, I am in favor of keeping any legal fish....just a question and one more opportunity to share my vast knowledge of offshore fishing.

Thanks

[Mike Avery]

Why is it ok to keep swords but it is basically unethical to keep any other billfish?
Thanks

Hypocrisy

[Sea_Slueth]

I asked the same question several days ago to someone and they laughed at me. They said billfish taste great! Kind of like a wahoo. The next one I catch (2010) I am keeping to see if he is right.

[CaptBeach]

My perspective is one of taste...

OK...Swordies=Great Tasting Meat...

Billfish(Blue, Black White Marlin, Sails)=Nasty Tasting Meat...

I remember eating Blue Marlin in Hawaii back in the 70's, not so good...really not so good...sooooo bad tasting fish=release in my book...

[surfperch1]

Marlin are better as a sportfish and are caught more often than swords. Shoot there might be a hand full of swords caught any given year by Charters/Rec fisherman in VA & NC and is more of a prize.

Keep a white, sail or blue and you may loose your MOJO. Also where are you going to keep it?

[gary49]

Swordfish meat is superior eating. Also Swords are among the fastest growing fish in the ocean, so they can be harvested within reason without ruining the resource. They were in trouble a decade or so ago, largely due to long-lining, but are now 90% recovered. The other billfish are kept and eaten in much of the rest of the world, but here really are much more valuable kept alive to be caught by another sportfisherman. The Whites supposedly are not in very good shape number-wise.

[capt. jakeg]

We all know that swords taste good. Ive eaten blue marlin a whole bunch of times and I think its good stuff, not that I need four or five hundred pounds of it anytime soon or anything, but definitely worth a try. I would not frown on somebody keeping one every now and then if they had good use for the meat, the fish wasnt wasted, and it was done in a manner that was both respectful to the fish and the fishery. A blue marlin is just as much an apex predator as a mako, and makos are sought after to be killed. Marlins are just worth more alive than dead is all. Theres plenty of other fish out there to eat.

[jkapl001]

Yeah I agree, I had Marlin when I was in Costa Rica, I thought it was great. Thanks for the replys.

[bigg09]

White marlin is delicious. First time i had it was in mexico after it got tail wrapped, but they probably would have kept it anyhow. i would not frown from someone keeping one, but i still enjoy seeing them swim away. a sword on the other hand is gonna get stuck and dragged in the boat.

[Watchdawg]

Swords just have a larger population size that is more resilient to fishing pressure. They're a little more like tunas than billfish in that regard. Check out the 2008 stock status report at:

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/Safe_Report/2008/HMS_SAFE_Report_2008_FINAL_FULL_DOCUMENT.pdf

Compare the "Maximum Sustainable Yield" of all the species. That's the maximum amount that could be harvested from a healthy stock. Yellowfin tuna is 130-146,000 tons, bigeye is 90,000 tons, swordfish is 14,000 tons. But white marlin is only 600-1300 tons and blue marlin is 2000 tons.