In the 1960s, most swordfish caught in the North Atlantic weighed more than 250 pounds. Due primarily to overfishing, the average-sized swordfish caught in the North Atlantic today weighs 90 pounds. These are babies -- literally. Nearly two-thirds of the swordfish caught today are too young to breed. Not only that, in 1996 US fishermen discarded 40,000 North Atlantic swordfish principally because they were too small to legally bring to market. Although fresh North Atlantic swordfish are a popular food item in restaurants, at markets and on grills -- they need a break. Populations need to be replenished. The fish need a chance to recover from a decade of overfishing. North Atlantic SWORDFISH will be back if we do our part now: Write the President and ask him to adopt strong conservation measures that will ensure the prompt recovery of swordfish. The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20500 For more information, contact SeaWeb. And NRDC.

Recent News: 8/01/00 - SeaWeb and NRDC Declare Victory for North Atlantic Swordfish 6/29/00 - Beneath the Surface of The Perfect Storm ** Also see the ad placed by SeaWeb, NRDC and Audubon in Roll Call 12/23/99 - Conservationists Encouraged by Government Proposal to Protect Baby Swordfish -- Strong Public Support Key to Success 11/23/99 - Conservationists, US industry and US Government pushed hard to rebuild north Atlantic swordfish; Thwarted by the European Union and Japan 8/12/99 - Major Grocery Chain to Stop Selling North Atlantic Swordfish and Other Severely Depleted Fish Species 4/26/99 - Adminstration's Swordfish Recovery Plan All Talk, No Action Campaign Materials: Campaign Q & A (updated 15 January 1999) A Letter to Chefs from Nora Pouillon A Word from the Chefs and their Pledge Swordfish in the North Atlantic (an NRDC report) Other links and related materials   The Ocean Report: These particular RealAudio clips from our nationally syndicated radio show highlight swordfish issues. Hosted by Peter Benchley. Airdate 3/06/98: The Chef Speaks Airdate 2/09/98: Swordfish Conservation Airdate 1/26/98: Swordfishing Airdate 12/17/97: Swordfish     Interview: Nora Pouillon, Washington, DC restauranteur, talks about the "Give Swordfish A Break" campaign and shares a recipe for saffron fettucine!