The Swordfish Hunters: The Life, Death, and Future of Xiphias Gladius

The Defiance rises, then falls into the swells over the Hudson, one of the deepest submarine canyons in the North Atlantic. The crew is hunting the dangerous swordfish, the gladiator of the sea. Through the bone-chilling dawn they labor, pulling lines from the depths. Then - fish on! Killing stick in hand, the greenhorn leans over the rail of the pitching boat, scanning the churning water for the swordfish below. The first mate screams - "Gaff the damn eye." The greenhorn knows this fish is valuable. Boating it could make or break the trip for the entire crew; he cannot afford to miss. He also knows that this fish, one of the largest predators in the Atlantic, is increasingly harder to find. The Swordfish Hunters is Thomas Armbruster's raw, honest, and sometimes humorous experience of his time at sea as a greenhorn commercial fisherman. And it is also there, in the NW Atlantic, where he explores the dynamics and natural beauty of the open ocean against the brutality of mechanized longlining - the technology that has decimated wild fisheries for over 50 years - and the bigger story. Scientists warn that life on earth depends on abundant fish in healthy oceans, raising the question - can the fisheries. especially the swordfish, billfish, sharks and tuna at the top of the food chain, be returned to sustainable levels? While the author believes that new technology and an ecosystem approach to fisheries management are both positive directions, he is strongly convinced that public support of ocean conservation is also necessary.