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Posted on 10/08/2002 9:39:21 AM PDT by cogitator
Swordfish Stage a Strong Recovery
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, October 7, 2002 (ENS) - Depleted populations of North Atlantic swordfish have responded to strict catch quotas with a swift recovery, acccording to an assessment by the international agency responsible for their conservation.
Four years into a 10 year recovery program, a preliminary assessment conducted last month in Madrid, Spain, for the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) found the swordfish have increased from a level of 65 percent of its healthy stock size to 94 percent.
“This is good news for those who care about the long term health of North Atlantic swordfish,” said Bill Hogarth, director of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries), an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Swordfish are migratory fish that swim long distances and are fished by many nations. The U.S. ICCAT delegation, including the commercial and recreational industries and environmental groups, united in a strong push to lead rebuilding efforts through the commission.
When the billed fish recover to 100 percent of what ICCAT considers a healthy stock size, American fishing vessels will be able to make money in the lucrative swordfishery once again, Hogath said.
“Commercial and recreational fishermen in the United States supported the strong management actions ICCAT implemented four years ago, and once the stock is fully rebuilt to the ICCAT goal, we will push for a quota that rewards them for their sacrifices,” he said.
"The recovery of North Atlantic swordfish population clearly shows that good science can go hand-in-hand with good fisheries management," said Dr. Ellen Pikitch, director of marine programs at the Bronx Zoo's Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). "This is an incredible victory for conservationists, commercial fishermen, consumers, and, of course, swordfish."
WCS began working to protect swordfish in 1999, when it proposed a new method for evaluating swordfish populations to ICAAT.
When Dr. Pikitch and WCS colleague Dr. Beth Babcock attended an ICCAT swordfish assessment meeting in 1999 in Rio de Janeiro, they found that North Atlantic swordfish were being depleted by overfishing. They recommended that catches needed to be reduced to a 10,000 metric ton quota to give the population a chance to recover within 10 years.
Along with the quota, areas closed to fishing to protect juvenile swordfish were adopted by the United States to speed rebuilding of swordfish populations.
At last month's ICCAT meeting in Madrid, Dr. Babcock and other scientists evaluated the stocks again and found that they were rebuilding much more rapidly than expected.
"If recent catch levels continue, there is more than an 80 percent chance that the population will recover by 2009 or even sooner," said Dr. Babcock.
In the 1970s, swordfish were a popular target of recreational fishermen in the United States, and the North Atlantic stock rapidly became overfished. Recent years have seen a resurgence in this interest, with a boom in recreational swordfish tournaments in Florida.
The 2001 international landings of North Atlantic swordfish totaled 9,800 metric tons, a decrease in landings of 52 percent from the 1987 peak of 20,236 metric tons.
Many conservation organizations worked to save North American swordfish including the Ocean Wildlife Campaign, which consists of WCS, the National Audubon Society, the National Coalition for Marine Conservation, the Ocean Conservancy, WWF, and Oceana.
The Give Swordfish a Break Campaign, a consumer awareness project of SeaWeb and the Natural Resources Defense Council, had an impact on the eating habits of restaurant diners.
In January 1998 the Give Swordfish a Break Campaign was launched in New York as 27 East coast chefs announced the removal of north Atlantic swordfish from their menus until a recovery plan is in place. Eleven months later, more than 500 chefs nationwide had taken swordfish off their menus.
In August 2000, NOAA Fisheries decided to protect juvenile swordfish by safeguarding key nursery areas within U.S. waters. In response to that move, the Give Swordfish a Break campaign formally ended with declaration of victory.
Still, consumers need more information to determine what fishes are numerous enough to eat. Later this month, WCS and Audubon's Living Oceans program will release a seafood awareness card that gives information on the conservation status of many commercial fish and shellfish.
On October 14, NOAA Fisheries will host a meeting of the ICCAT Advisory Committee to review the preliminary stock assessment findings. The committee will develop recommendations for ICCAT on whether current international fishing quotas should change.
Proposed regulations include a recreational permit requirement to harvest swordfish, a dockside call-in reporting requirement for recreational harvests, and a recreational retention limit, also called a bag limit.
Swordfish grow rapidly, and females start reproducing by age five. They spawn in warm, tropical and subtropical waters throughout the year.
Found in the colder northern waters during the summer months, and all year in subtropical and tropical areas, they are caught on deep ocean longlines at night.
"While the recovery of North Atlantic swordfish populations is a great victory, the battle is far from over," said Dr. Pikitch. "We need to continue to protect juvenile swordfish, and minimize bycatch of severely depleted species such as white and blue marlin, which are still accidentally taken by swordfish boats."
WCS warned that the status of swordfish populations in the South Atlantic and Pacific are unknown and probably overfished.
The next swordfish assessment will occur in 2004.
Baravelli: Who are you?
Wagstaff: I'm fine thanks, who are you?
Baravelli: I'm fine too, but you can't come in unless you give the password.
Wagstaff: Well, what is the password?
Baravelli: Aw, no! You gotta tell me. Hey, I tell what I do. I give you three guesses. It's the name of a fish.
Wagstaff: Is it Mary?
Baravelli: Ha-ha. That's-a no fish.
Wagstaff: She isn't, well, she drinks like one. Let me see. Is it sturgeon?
Baravelli: Hey you crazy! Sturgeon, he's a doctor cuts you open when-a you sick. Now I give you one more chance.
Wagstaff: I got it! Haddock!
Baravelli: That's-a funny. I gotta haddock, too.
Wagstaff: What do you take for a haddock?
Baravelli: Well-a, sometimes I take-a aspirin, sometimes I take-a Calamel.
Wagstaff: Say, I'd walk a mile for a Calamel.
Baravelli: You mean chocolate calamel. I like that too, but you no guess it. Hey, what-sa matter, you no understand English? You can't come in here unless you say 'swordfish.' Now I'll give you one more guess.
Wagstaff: (to himself: Swordfish. Swordfish) I think I got it. Is it 'swordfish'?
Baravelli: Hah! That's-a it! You guess it!
Wagstaff: Pretty good, eh?
Basil Butter:
¾ c fresh basil leaves
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
Sauce:
2 tsp olive oil
½ c finely chopped red onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
½ c dry white wine
3 tbsp capers
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp sugar
¼ c chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Fish:
4 (6oz) tuna or swordfish steaks (about 1 inch thick)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Cooking spray
4 basil leaves (optional)
1. Prepare grill or broiler
2. To prepare basil butter, combine first 5 ingredients in a food processor, process until smooth, scraping sides as needed. Set aside.
3. To prepare sauce, heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and 2 garlic cloves; sauté 3 minutes. Add tomatoes; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in wine, capers, vinegar, and sugar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in parsley. Set aside.
4. To prepare fish, sprinkle steaks with ½ tsp salt and pepper. Place fish on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Cook 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with sauce and basil butter. Garnish with basil leaves, if desired.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fish steak, ¾ c sauce, and about 1 tbsp basil butter).
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