UNIT 18 

 PACIFIC HIGHLY MIGRATORY PELAGIC FISHERIES 



Swordfish 



Swordfish arc distributed throughout the tem- 

 perate, subtropical, and tropical waters of the Pa- 

 cific. Much of the Pacific-wide catch is taken by 

 the lapanese longline fishery directed at tunas, 

 some is taken by the U.S. swordfish longline fish- 

 ery, and the rest is taken by surhice gears such as 

 harpoons, handlines, coastal drift gillnets and, until 

 1993, high-seas drift gillnets. Coastal fisheries oc- 

 cur off the United States, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, 

 Chile, and Australia. Catches have increased 

 throughout the 1980's and 1990's (Figure 18-4), 

 averaging about 30,000 t in recent years (Table 

 18-1). 



The stock structure and status of Pacific sword- 

 fish stocks are unclear. Several studies suggest more 

 than one Pacific stock. The most recent assessment 

 assumed a single Pacific stock and suggested that 

 the stock was somewhat underutilized. However, 

 this assessment was limited to data through 1 980. 

 More recent statistics on catch and effort are not 

 available, but as total catch has increased so has 

 the crude estimate of long-term potential yield. 

 The recent average yield for 1993-95 exceeds the 

 estimated long-term potential yield (Table 18-1). 



From 1989 to 1993, production from the U.S. 

 domestic longline fishery in Hawaii increased rap- 

 idly, reaching 5,942 t and an ex-vessel revenue ot 

 $26,100,000 in 1993. Catches declined to 2,504 

 t in 1996. The 1995 production represents 9% of 

 the total Pacific production and 50% ol the cen- 

 tral-eastern North Pacific production. 



The production from the U.S. domestic gillnet 

 and harpoon fisheries located primarily oft Cali- 

 fornia increased markedly from 1975 to 1985, 

 when a peak catch ot 2,400 t was landed. The fish- 

 ery currently has a recent average annual yield ot 

 1,124 t for about $5,000,000 in ex-vessel revenue. 



Other Billfishes and Pelagics 



Species included here are the blue, black, and 

 striped marlins; sailfish, shortbill spearfish, wahoo. 

 dolphinfish, and several oceanic sharks (requiem, 

 thresher, hammerhead, and mackerel). They gen- 

 erally range from North America to Asia and be- 

 tween the North and South Pacific convergence 

 zones. They are generally more abundant near is- 



Landings 

 (x 1.000 t) 



US central-western Pacific 



US eastern-tropical Pacific 



79 80 81 82 83 84 85 



Landings 

 (■ 1,000 t) 



Figure 18-4 



Landings of swordfisfi in the 

 Pacific Ocean region, 1979- 

 97, in metric tons (t). Pacific- 

 wide data unavailable for 

 1997. 



Entire Pacific 



US- central-western Pacific 



I 



81 82 83 84 85 86 



87 8 

 Year 



89 90 91 92 93 94 



Figure 18-5 



Landings of billfish and 

 sfiarks in the Pacific Ocean 

 region, 1979-96, in metric 

 tons (t). Data for 1997 not 

 available. 



1 97 



