Species guide

Swordfish Fishing

Swordfish are deep sea fish found from the surface down below 2,000 feet; FWC notes most drift fishing occurs at night. FWC and NOAA Fisheries both set a 47-inch lower jaw fork length minimum.

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Swordfish

Every charter here names swordfish on its own website, checked on the captain's own site

Check before you keep a fish. Seasons and limits change, sometimes in the middle of a season, and a court or an agency can change them overnight. Seasons and limits are set state by state. The ones on this page are Florida's, copied from FWC and NOAA Fisheries in Sep 2026 and listed with their source at the foot of the page. We are not a regulatory authority. Confirm the rule for the water you will fish with your captain or with that state's wildlife agency.

Where to fish for swordfish

189 charters name swordfish on their own website, across 61 towns in 1 state.

State records for swordfish

The heaviest swordfish each state has certified, biggest first.

StateWeightWhereYearAngler
Massachusetts 646 lb Nomans Land Island 1972 Albert Littlesource
Florida 612.75 lb Key Largo 1978 Stephen Stanfordsource
Rhode Island 588 lb Atlantic 2018 L. Banfieldsource
New York 540 lb — 9/8/ Dean Delle Donne, Moriches, NYsource
New Jersey 530 lb Wilmington Canyon 1964 Edmund Levittsource
North Carolina 504.5 lb Off Morehead City 2022 Cary Carneysource
South Carolina 500 lb Georgetown 1978 B. H. Peace IIIsource
Texas 493 lb Gulf of Mexico 2013 Brian K. Barclaysource
Alabama 448 lb — 2006 Wendell L. Sawyer Jr.source
Maryland 393 lb Canyons off Ocean City 2022 Jeff Jacobssource
Delaware 358 lb — 2013 Kurt Lorenzsource
Louisiana 310 lb Mississippi Canyon 1980 Thomas Dantinsource

Each from that state's own records page, linked on every row. A location links to its town only where the agency named that town — a record logged to "Gulf of Mexico" or an offshore block belongs to no city. Weights are printed as the agency prints them. Records are certified by the state and can be broken at any time.

About the fish

SizeUp to 15 feet and 1,400 pounds
Where it livesDeep sea, from the surface to below 2,000 feet
What it eatsMainly fishes, and some invertebrates

From FWC's species profile, checked Sep 2026.

Which rules apply to your trip

  • FWC says no federal HMS permit is needed for swordfish in state waters. NOAA requires a valid HMS Angling or HMS Charter/Headboat permit to fish for Atlantic swordfish (tournament vessels may instead use an Atlantic Tunas General category or Swordfish General Commercial permit).
  • On a charter, FWC limits the boat to 6 swordfish, and the captain and crew may not keep any.
  • Under NOAA Fisheries rules, swordfish cannot be kept if a hammerhead or oceanic whitetip shark is on board or has been offloaded from the vessel.
  • A landed swordfish must be reported to NOAA within 24 hours, at 800-894-5528 or hmspermits.noaa.gov.

Harvest rules

When can you keep one in Florida?

Swordfish, Florida state waters

Florida state waters.

  • All anglersOpen year roundFWC.
47 inches lower jaw to fork, or 25 inches cleithrum to keelSize limit
1 per personDaily limit. Up to 4 per private boat or 15 per for-hire vessel, and charter boats are limited to 6 per vessel. Captain and crew of a for-hire vessel: 0. Hook and line only.

Swordfish, federal waters

Federal waters, under NOAA Fisheries rules.

  • Vessels with an HMS permitOpenNOAA Fisheries lists the fishery as open.
47 inches lower jaw to fork, or 25 inches cleithrum to keelSize limit
1 per paying passenger on a charter boatDaily limit. Up to 6 per charter boat or 15 per headboat per trip. Private boats with an HMS Angling permit: 1 per person, up to 4 per vessel.

Questions about swordfish

How big does a swordfish have to be?

47 inches from the lower jaw to the fork of the tail, or 25 inches from the cleithrum to the keel. A shark-bitten fish can be kept only if what remains still meets that size.

How many swordfish can a charter keep?

In state waters FWC limits charter boats to 6 per vessel. In federal waters it is 1 per paying passenger, up to 6 per charter boat.

Does a swordfish have to be reported?

Yes, to NOAA within 24 hours of landing, at 800-894-5528 or hmspermits.noaa.gov.

Seasons, sizes and bag limits on this page were copied from FWC, billfish, tuna and swordfish regulations and NOAA Fisheries, recreational Atlantic swordfish and FWC, swordfish profile in Sep 2026. Rules change, sometimes mid-season. Check the current rule with your captain or FWC before you keep a fish.