A record breaking 448 lb swordfish was caught in the Gulf of Mexico on 9/16/06 in Orange Beach, AL. Why are these trophy size swordfish now being caught in the northern Gulf? Due to conservation efforts and bans on longlining, there has been a dramatic increased abundance of large swordfish. Swordfishing has become the hottest trend in recreational fishing on the Gulf of Mexico.

Orange Beach, AL (PRWEB) October 21, 2006 -- On September 16, 2006, The Sea Reaper III, angler Del Sawyer, and crew from Orange Beach, AL caught a 448 lb. swordfish, establishing a new record for the State of Alabama. The previous record of 350 lbs. 12 oz. was caught on 9/15/2005. Why are we now seeing these trophy size swordfish in the Gulf?


According to Captain Randy “Goat Roper” Howland of the Sea Reaper III, the fish was caught about 70 miles southwest of Orange Beach (due south of Mobile) and about 50 miles west of the edge of the DeSoto Canyon, the Mississippi-Alabama-West Florida continental shelf. The weigh-in took place at Orange Beach Marina by Harbor Master, Capt. Jim Beason.

Capt. Beason started swordfishing in the 70’s. “A lot of people don’t know that we have swordfish here in the gulf”, he says. “It used to be that nobody went fishing for them. Since the longline ban, there are more swordfish than ever here. People don’t realize it, but you could catch a swordfish every single night, year round.”

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