Swordfish

The swordfish stock in the north east Pacific Ocean is thought not to be overfished and not subject to overfishing, but is not regularly assessed and there is some uncertainty in this.Route 2 (data limited) scoring has been applied to this rating owing to the lack of a recent stock assessment. Swordfish is considered to have medium resilience to fishing pressure.Swordfish in the north east Pacific Ocean (NEPO) is managed primarily by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC). Until recently, there has been no agreement over who should assess this stock. In 2021, it was agreed that the International Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-like species in the North Pacific (ISC) will include it in their north Pacific assessment work during 2022.According to the IATTC's 2020 overview of NEPO swordfish, it is "probably not overfished and overfishing is most likely not occurring". This is based on the following information:A 2007 stock assessment that indicated that, at the level of fishing effort at the time, there was negligible risk of the spawning biomass decreasing to less than 40% of its unfished level.A 2002 stock assessment indicating that stock biomass had been stable and well above 50% of unexploited levels, indicating that the stock was not overexploited at current levels of fishing effort.A set of indicators for the health of the stock, developed in 2000.The annual longline fishing effort in the north EPO, which increased from about 43 million hooks in 2007 to about 66 million hooks in 2011 and 78 million hooks in 2018. This remains significantly below the 2001-2003 average of 113 million hooks.The long period of relatively stable catches that have average 3,231 tonnes over the past 10 years.

Few appropriate management measures are in place for north east Pacific Ocean swordfish. There is no management plan and no recent stock assessment to ensure that overexploitation is not taking place. Observer coverage, which is important for ensuring data on catch and bycatch is accurate, is too low.Tuna and swordfish are highly migratory species, found on the high seas and in numerous countries' waters. This makes harmonised and effective management challenging. Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) are responsible for monitoring and managing these stocks on behalf of the countries that access them. However, the degree to which management is implemented, monitored and enforced by each country varies significantly. It is important that commercial buyers choose swordfish that has been caught by vessels that are well regulated by their flag state.This stock is managed by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), but until recently there was no agreement over who should assess it. This appears to have been resolved in 2021, and a stock assessment is expected in 2022. Some stocks overlap with the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC). The IATTC and WCPFC endeavour to work together to promote compatibility between their respective conservation and management measures across the Pacific, but this is not always achieved.There is no Total Allowable Catch (TAC) set for swordfish in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). Management measures that apply to tuna fisheries, in particular albacore and bigeye, are expected to also benefit swordfish stocks. Catches have stayed fairly low, fluctuating at around 3,000t. However, this stock is not yet regularly assessed and there are no specific management measures for it. Therefore, management of this stock includes few appropriate measures and is not based on scientific advice.Most swordfish is caught by longlining. Since 2011 only 5% observer coverage has been required on large longliners, considered by the scientific committee to be too low for accurate data: a minimum of 20% coverage is recommended. In addition, data recorded by longliners is considered inadequate for scientific purposes and minimum data standards must be identified and introduced.To help address IUU, the IATTC maintains an IUU Vessel List, maintains a register of authorised fishing vessels, prohibits transhipments at sea for most vessels (some exemptions apply), and requires most other transhipments to be documented and observed. Countries are required to report annually on monitoring, control and compliance of management measures. IATTC was the last tuna RFMO to adopt Port State measures (in 2021) to strengthen work to tackle IUU. IATTC does not report on countries' compliance with management measures and does not have a framework for addressing non-compliance.

Most swordfish catches in the Eastern Pacific Ocean are by longlining. Longlining can have a bycatch of highly vulnerable species such as seabirds, sharks and turtles.Longlining is responsible for the majority (90%) of swordfish catches in the south Eastern Pacific Ocean (S-EPO). While longlining is unlikely to have habitat impacts, it can have a bycatch of highly vulnerable and endangered species, including sharks, turtles, and seabirds. Longlining for swordfish and albacore tuna usually happens in shallower waters than other tuna species, making it more accessible to some species such as seabirds.Data on bycatch in longline fisheries is very poor, partly because there are not enough scientific observers on vessels. Observer coverage is only required to be 5%, and recommendations are for at least 20%. The 5% target is often not achieved. Some mitigation measures are in place, but they often don't follow scientific recommendations for best practice, and their effectiveness has not been evaluated.Seabird bycatch is a concern in this fishery. Albatrosses and petrels are attracted to the baited hooks on longlines. There were over 3,000 seabird deaths from EPO longlining in 2019, which is a minimum estimate given the significant data gaps. Most records are not species-specific, so it is difficult to assess impacts on species. There is particular concern for the waved albatross, because it is endemic to the EPO and nests only in the Galapagos Islands. The required mitigation measures do not follow recommended best practice by ACAP (the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels). IATTC requires one or more measures from a set list of options, including weighted branch lines, bird scaring lines and night setting. ACAP recommends the simultaneous use of all three, or hook-shielding or underwater bait setting devices.Sharks are both bycaught and targeted in longline fisheries in the EPO. There are stock assessments for only 4 species, but at least 14 species are caught. In 2019, over 16,000 tonnes of sharks were caught by longlining. The most commonly caught species are silky shark and blue shark. Sharks are vulnerable to fishing pressure, being slow-growing and late to mature, and silky shark appears to be declining. There are also some catches of the critically endangered oceanic whitetip and scalloped hammerhead, and the endangered pelagic thresher and mako species. Management measures include a ban on landing oceanic whitetips, silky sharks, and mobula rays is prohibited, and a ban on shark finning. The scientific committee continues to advise that shark data collection is inadequate and must be improved, and better mitigation measures are needed.Bycatch of marine mammals by longlining is not thought to be of concern in this fishery.IATTC have noted that mortality rates of turtles due to longlining are possibly greater for those that set their lines at shallower depths at night for albacore and swordfish. In addition, there is a sizeable fleet of artisanal longline vessels from coastal nations that also impact sea turtles. The Eastern Pacific sub-population of leatherbacks is classified as Critically Endangered and at risk of extinction in the area. Bycatch and fishery interactions are the primary cause of the decline, mainly by gillnets and longlines in the southern and central Eastern Pacific (from Chile to Mexico). It is estimated that between 400 and 1,000 EPO leatherback turtles are killed by fishing each year, and the population was around 1,700 adults in 2015. Urgent measures are needed to reduce impacts on this species, including better observer coverage, and improved handling and release practices to improve post-capture survival. This is in addition to current requirements, which include carrying equipment to promptly release turtles, record all interactions, and for shallow longliners to use circle hooks or finfish bait.

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