Turkish harpoon fishery for swordfish Xiphias gladius in the Aegean Sea (Gökçeada Island)

Abstract This study reports the catch per unit effort (CPUE) of swordfish harpoon fishery for the first time in the Turkish Aegean Sea. This research was carried out with commercial harpooners for swordfish in Kaleköy fishing port, Gökçeada Island, a unique harpooning area in Turkish waters during fishing seasons in 2009 and 2010. Catch data (number of specimens and weight of each fish) were recorded on daily basis by both scientific observers and questionnaire with skippers. The effective fishing days at sea were used as a unit of fishing effort. The harpooning data collected during the two seasons (2009-2010) from 21 vessels in Saros Bay showed a total of 20555 kg and 544 specimens. The average CPUEs were 49.7 ± 8.5 kg and 1.3 ± 0.2 in number of fish per day for 2009, and 25.7 ± 12.5 kg and 0.8 ± 0.3 in number of fish per day for 2010. There was no significant difference in the means of swordfish CPUE values both in number and weight between two fishing seasons (2009-2010) (P>0.05).