Mexico Pacific swordfish - longline

Swordfish is a highly migratory species of fish found throughout most of the world’s oceans. Adults are typically found between 15 degrees North and 35 degrees South, while juveniles are more common within tropical and subtropical waters. In the north Pacific Ocean, there are two stocks of swordfish. The populations are separated by a diagonal boundary that runs from Baja California to the Equator. There are two stocks of swordfish within the eastern Pacific Ocean: the northeastern Pacific Ocean stock and the southeastern Pacific Ocean stock.

A recent stock assessment noted that the biomass of swordfish in the northeastern Pacific Ocean is healthy and fishing mortality rates are stable. The biomass is not expected to decline at current fishing levels. However, the fisheries that target the species have some barriers to remove, like the fact that there are no formally adopted target reference points or harvest control rules in place. Also, there might be issues with bycatch of sea turtles, sea birds, sharks, and other fish species in longline fisheries.

The Mexican Pacific swordfish fishery targets the Northeastern Pacific Ocean stock averaging annual landings of 760 metric tons and registers 52 vessels with commercial fishing licenses for longline of which, an average of 25 vessels operates in the season. 30 are registered in Baja California State and the 22 remaining vessels are registered in Sinaloa State. 95% of the landings are exported to the United States of America subject to the NOAA Seafood Import Monitoring Program requirements for the importation of certain priority fish and fish products that have been identified as being particularly vulnerable to IUU fishing and/or seafood fraud.