Five of these countries, Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, and France, harvested 27,568 tons of swordfish in 1994, making the EU the most important producer in the region. The Belgian fishing fleet, one of the smallest in Western Europe, is deployed in coastal fisheries along the Belgian coast and neighboring countries. Charles Pecher, Managing Director, Thalassa Seafoods. Although Belgian vessels could fish for swordfish during the annual swordfish migration from the Azores to Ireland, this has not happened and does not appear likely. Belgium is expected to increase imports of swordfish both for local consumption and for processing into value-added products for export.
Danish traders do, however, deal in swordfish.
In 1993, Danish imports of swordfish were 37 tons while exports of swordfish amounted to 27 tons leaving 10 tons for local consumption. The French 1993 swordfish catch was 95 tons, mostly bycatch from the albacore tuna fishery in the Bay of Biscay. The catch and some modest imports are sold locally as well as processed for export to Italy, Spain, and other European countries. Catches of swordfish are also made in the French Overseas Departments of La R union French Polynesia and possibly from of one of the islands in the Antilles. France is a member of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.