SeaChoice “Best Choice” Seafood Profile

Nova Scotia Harpooned Swordfish- Fascinating, Sustainable, and Delicious.

This profile was written by SeaChoice Atlantic Coordinator Sadie Beaton

As nice as it is to have company, dinner guests don’t always give a lot of notice, leaving you to whip something up in a few short hours. Hurrying to your local grocer, you notice that the catch of the day is “harpooned swordfish.” Looking delicious in the seafood case, you cross your fingers as you consult SeaChoice’s handy “Canada’s Seafood Guide.” While longlined swordfish lie squarely in the “Avoid ” category, it thankfully turns out that harpooned swordfish are a “Best Choice.” It also turns out that these steaks are a great last-minute choice, as they have a sophisticated taste and can be grilled or roasted in less than fifteen minutes.

Swordfish are summer visitors off Nova Scotia’s coast, following the warming Atlantic waters up from Florida by late June. Along with a streamlined silvery-blue physique, these stately fish possess a sharp, sword-like bill that allows them to cut through the water at speeds over 100 kilometers per hour. By night, they feed by diving into the chilly depths after smaller fish, especially squid, and then spend their days basking, or “finning,” near the surface in the warmth of the gulf stream.

Nova Scotia’s harpoon swordfish fishery is a unique hunt-like fishery with a rich cultural tradition. Mature swordfish are targeted by small boats on calm, clear afternoons. Fishermen have to sight the fish at the surface, where adults bask in the warmer surface waters after a night of feeding. When one is spotted, the harpooner attempts to spear it with a 4 to 5 meter long harpoon attached to a line.

The Canadian harpoon swordfishery was a sustainable part of coastal community life for many years, until the 1960s, when longlining was introduced. These pelagic fishing lines stretch 25 to 50 miles in length and are baited with hundreds of hooks. A longline catches everything in its path, including juvenile and non-target fish, endangered tuna species, sharks, turtles, and even the occasional whale.

Nova Scotian harpooners pride themselves not only on the sustainability of their fishery, but also on the high quality of their catch. Their superior product is a result of the careful handling of each swordfish after it is harpooned, which preserves the amazing flavour, texture, and colour of the meat. Swordfish has a distinct, meaty flavour that is best accompanied by a simple dressing.

Grocers often fail to label how or where particular fish are caught. It is important to ask your fishmonger these questions, expressing your desire for sustainable options in the seafood case. While most of the swordfish on the market is currently longlined, consumers have the power to affect trends and make delicious, sustainable alternatives more readily available.

By choosing to dine on harpooned swordfish, you are not only supporting a fascinating artisanal fishery, but you are also consuming a “Best Choice ” option based on the five sustainability criteria used in SeaChoice fisheries assessments. These criteria include inherent vulnerability to fishing pressure; status of wild stocks; nature and extent of discarded bycatch; effect of fishing practices on habitats and ecosystems; and effectiveness of the management regime.

Swordfish can be quickly marinated in olive oil, rosemary, lemon, pepper and garlic, and then grilled for four to six minutes on each side, or roasted in the oven. These meaty steaks pair well with new potatoes and steamed seasonal veggies, or a simple rice stir fry. Your surprise guests will be thrilled by the flavour, presentation and, best of all, the guilt-free aftertaste that accompanies a SeaChoice “Best Choice” meal.

For more information about how you or your business can get involved with SeaChoice, please contact info@seachoice.org