Quotas are used to reduce fishing mortality across all age groups protecting both juveniles and breeding adults. If discards exceed the cap, the amount in excess is deducted from catch allocations the following year. Quota overages are deducted from subsequent national quotas and penalties are issued against nations. The 1999 average size of catch was 75 lb. Size of catch varies with gear, area fished, and size distribution in the stock.
Harpoons target large females.
Longlines fish across age groups and sex in areas fished. Size limits were reviewed at a 1999 scientific workshop where presentations suggested that minimum sizes can increase fishing mortality and reduce the number of fish reaching spawning stock due to discard mortality, and that egg production is enhanced at the current minimum size because males contribute to the yield thereby saving females. It also has been noted that a size increase up to 100 pounds would shift fishing pressure onto the female spawning stock and forgo yield from mature males. The age distribution in north Atlantic swordfish populations shows high recruitment in 1997-1998. The recruitment index and catch at age also show signs of substantially improved recruitment which should allow for increases in spawning biomass in 2001 and thereafter, and a more optimistic outlook if the recent year classes are not heavily fished.