Where do Swordfish Spawn?

The greatest interest is taken, not only by deep sea anglers, but by students of marine page 49 life, in the spawning places of swordfish. The spawning places have never been definitely determined, though the fish are found in many places in both hemispheres, and were referred to in the works of the earliest historians. Mr. Zane Grey, during his recent visit to the Bay of Islands, noticed that, in several cases the swordfish caught by him appeared to have spawned compartively recently. During his coming visit to New Zeland in December, it is his intention to devote more time to noting facts which may help to elucidate the secret so far as the spawning places of the swordfish are concerned. (Captain Mitchell, who is accompanying Zane Grey, has written from Tahiti to the Publicity Department in Wellington saying that it is the intention of the Zane Grey party to fish through the Pacific Island waters in the hope of establishing the locality of the breeding grounds of swordfish. It is thereby hoped to ascertain whether in the winter period they leave New Zealand for the warmer waters of the Pacific, and whether in the course of the next few weeks they will be moving south from the islands about Tahiti.)

Incidentally, it may be mentioned that the mako shark, hammer-head shark, thresher shark and kingfish, remain in close proximity to our coastline up north. These fish are all classed as “game” by the New Zealand Deep-sea Angling Clubs and may be caught at any period of the year.

It is a proud day for the angler who lands successfully a black marlin, a broadbill, or a striped marlin.

We have heard so much about Captain L. D. Mitchell (I believe one of the greastest fisher-men New Zealand has ever seen) and his capture of the 9761b black marlin, that I feel it must make one just long for the time when he may be able to visit the fishing grounds and try his “‘prentice hand” at similar captures. (It was only the other day I had sent me an overseas paper containing a photo depicting Captain Mitchell's grand swordfish hanging from the tripod which was erected on Urupukapuka Island. The great fish was caught in 1926, and is thus serving as an advertisement in making this remote portion of our Empire known.)

The vast expanse of the northern fishing grounds, with their acres and acres of fish—fish so tame that you can touch them as you pass through the shoals on your way to spend happy moments after the huge denizens of the deep—provide the angler with untold opportunities for the pursuit of his sport. (While feeding, the shoals of kahawai and travalli make a rushing noise like a brook running over boulders. At such times the swordfish and other big game fish are after them.)

The best times to hunt the swordfish are during the months of December, January, February, March, April, and at the beginning of May, after which they suddenly take their departure.