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| Marine Resource Fact Sheet |
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| | Data Ownership | | This document provided, maintained and owned by Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) , is part of IOTC Stock Status Reports data collection. |
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| Related observations | Locate in inventory | | | | Species: | | FAO Names: en - Swordfish, fr - Espadon, es - Pez espada, ru - Меч-рыба |
Fishery IndicatorsProduction: Catch |
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| Geographic extent of Swordfish - Indian Ocean
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| FAO Major Fishing Areas |
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| 51 | Indian Ocean, Western |
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| 57 | Indian Ocean, Eastern |
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| Main Descriptors | Considered a single stock: Yes
Management unit: Yes
Reference year: 2013 |
| Considered a single stock: A group of individuals in a species occupying a well defined spatial range independent of other stocks of the same species. It can be affected by random dispersal movements and directed migrations due to seasonal or reproductive activity. |
| Spatial Scale: Spatial scale contains a standard term such as Global, Regional (e.g. for the whole Atlantic), sub-regional (e.g. for a part of the Atlantic), national, local (for sub-national levels). |
| Considered a management unit: An aquatic resource or fishery is
declared as [Fishery] Management Unit if it is
effectively the focus for the application of selected
management methods and measures, within the broader
framework of a management system. According to the FAO
Glossary for Responsible Fishing, "a Fishery Management
Unit (FMU) is a fishery or a portion of a fishery
identified in a Fishery Management Plan (FMP) relevant
to the FMP's management objectives." FMU's may be
organised around fisheries biological, geographic,
economic, technical, social or ecological dimensions ,
and the makeup and attribute of a fishery management
unit depends mainly on the FMP's management
objectives. |
| Jurisdictional distribution: Jurisdictional qualifier (e.g.
"shared", "shared - highly migratory") of the aquatic
resource related with its spatial distribution. |
| Environmental group: Classification of the aquatic
resource according to the environmental group (e.g.
pelagic invertebrate, or demersal fish) to which the
species belong. |
| Reference Year: The Reference Year is the last year considered in the stock assessment and/or fishery status. |
| | | | | | Biological State and Trend Habitat and Biology Climatic zone: Temperate; Tropical. Horizontal distribution: Oceanic. Vertical distribution: Pelagic. Geographical Distribution Jurisdictional distribution: Highly migratory Geo References  | | Geographic extent of Swordfish - Indian Ocean
| FAO Major Fishing Areas | 51: Indian Ocean, Western | | 57: Indian Ocean, Eastern |
| | | | | | Intersecting Major FAO areas and LME areas |
The following area codes have been found as intersecting the distribution of Swordfish - Indian Ocean | FAO Major Fishing Areas | 51:
Indian Ocean, Western | | 57:
Indian Ocean, Eastern | | Large Marine Ecosystem Areas (LME) | 30: Agulhas Current | | 31: Somali Coastal Current | | 32: Arabian Sea | | 33: Red Sea | | 34: Bay of Bengal | | 38: Indonesian Sea | | 39: North Australian Shelf | | 42: Southeast Australian Shelf | | 43: Southwest Australian Shelf | | 44: West-Central Australian Shelf | | 45: Northwest Australian Shelf |
Resource Structure Considered a single stock: Yes A recent genetic study did not reveal any structure within the Indian Ocean with the markers used, however the hypothesis of a population structuring at the regional level cannot be discarded and needs to be investigated using different markers or approaches. Results obtained from the markers used may simply be a matter of the resolving power of the markers used, which may simply have been insufficient for detecting population subdivision. Spatial heterogeneity in stock indicators (catch–per–unit–effort trends) indicates the potential for localised depletion of swordfish in the Indian Ocean. Exploitation Fishery Indicators | Type | Measure | Value | Unit | Time period |
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| Production | Catch | 297 | tonnes | Average 1950 - 1959 | | Catch | 1340 | tonnes | Average 1960 - 1969 | | Catch | 2106 | tonnes | Average 1970 - 1979 | | Catch | 5130 | tonnes | Average 1980 - 1989 | | Catch | 26521 | tonnes | Average 1990 - 1999 | | Catch | 32689 | tonnes | Average 2000 - 2009 | | Catch | 33108 | tonnes | 2006 | | Catch | 29928 | tonnes | 2007 | | Catch | 24427 | tonnes | 2008 | | Catch | 24466 | tonnes | 2009 | | Catch | 24483 | tonnes | 2010 | | Catch | 21370 | tonnes | 2011 | | Catch | 29177 | tonnes | 2012 | | Catch | 30349 | tonnes | 2013 | | Catch | 36842 | tonnes | 2014 | | Catch | 41760 | tonnes | 2015 |
Assessment No new assessment was undertaken in 2016. Thus, stock status is based on the previous assessment undertaken in 2014, as well as indicators available in 2015. The SS3 model, used for stock status advice, indicated that MSY-based reference points were not exceeded for the Indian Ocean population as a whole. All other models applied to swordfish also indicated that the stock was above a biomass level that would produce MSY. Assessment Model Type: Age-structured Stock Synthesis III (SS3) Scientific Advice The most recent catches (41760 t in 2015) are 2360 t above the MSY level (39400 t). Hence catches in 2017 should be reduced to less than MSY (39400 t). As the updated stock assessment is scheduled in 2017, more concrete advice after 2018 should be developed next year. Management Management unit: Yes Source of information IOTC–WPB14 2016. Report of the 14thSession of the IOTC Working Party on Billfish. Victoria, Seychelles, 2016. IOTC–2016–WPB14–R[E]: 94 pp.  https://iotc.org/sites/default/files/documents/2016/10/IOTC-2016-WPB14-RE_-_FINAL.pdf |
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