Swordfish / Pez espada Xiphias gladius

Local names:
Colombia: Pez espada
Costa Rica: Pez espada
Chile: Albacora, Pez espada
Ecuador: Pez espada
México: Pez espada
Panamá: Pez espada
Perú: Pez espada

Commercial names:
Pez espada, Swordfish

Simile of international trade:
Cosmopolitan

Geographical distribution:
Its distribution goes from 32° 43' N to 37° 00' S in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

Habitat and biology:
Species highly migrant, lives in tropical and temperate waters, epipelagic, oceanic though also frequents coastal waters. Very aggressive fish. It feeds on fish, cephalopods and crustaceans.

Length:
Its mean length is 280 cm (TL).

Principal ports of landing:
Esmeraldas, Manta, San Mateo, Puerto López, Santa Rosa, Salinas and anconcito.

Types of fisheries:
Artisanal, sport and bycath on longine boats.

Fishing season:
All year round, during the periods with fullmoon.

Landings:
The annual unloading average is 345 tons in the artisanal fisheries.

Types of vessel:
Fiberglass boats.

Importance:
It is an important resource within the artisanal fisheries and in the sports fishing. Its flesh is of excellent quality. 99% of the unloading are marketed in the international trade.

Processing:

H&G:
Head, gutted, tail off, with skin.

Packing:

H&G:
Waxed cardboard boxes, insulated, plastic liner, with gel packs.

Yield (%):
H&G 80

Chemical composition:
Proximate composition (%)
Moisture: 80.8
Fat: 4.0
Protein: 18.0