168 GIANT FISHES 



The flesh is firm, greyish-white in colour, and richly 

 flavoured, and in America " Sword-fish steak " is looked upon 

 by some as a prime delicacy. Young Sword-fishes are very 

 abundant off the coast of Sicily and they are much esteemed 

 as food. In the Mediterranean and on both sides of the Atlantic 

 there are important fisheries, these being conducted rather 

 after the manner of whaling ; that is to say, individual fish 

 are singled out and harpooned. Every summer large numbers 

 of Sword-fish make their appearance off the Atlantic coast of 

 the United States, and more than 5,000,000 pounds of fish 

 are caught annually in America alone. It has recently been 

 discovered that the oil obtained from the liver has a high 

 medicinal value, being even richer than the better-known 

 cod-liver oil. 



As a sporting fish the Sword-fish is very popular, but it 

 is not taken to the same extent as the Spear-fishes and Sail- 

 fishes. It is described as the " hardest to manage of all that 

 take the angler's hook ", and its tremendous strength and 

 activity undoubtedly provide the angler with exciting and at 

 times even dangerous sport. In 1934 a fish weighing 837! lb. 

 was taken on rod and line in Chile, and Mr. Zane Grey has one 

 of 578 lb. from the Atlantic to his credit. 



The Spanish name for the Sword-fish is " Espadon empera- 

 dor ", meaning " the emperor's broadsword ", and the French 

 refer to it as " Espadon ", " Empereur ", or " Epee de Mer ". 

 The scientific name is a combination of Greek and Latin, the 

 terms Xiphias and gladius both meaning a sword. 



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