Swordfish: A Biography of the Ocean Gladiator

Ellis%E2%80%94marine biologist, author (The Great Sperm Whale), and painter%E2%80%94adds a thorough exploration of Xiphias gladius to his expansive library of books about sea creatures. Once hunted as large game by "macho fishermen" such as Ernest Hemingway and Zane Grey, swordfish decreased in both numbers and size until the 1970s. Conservation efforts and restrictions in hunting and fishing have successfully increased numbers of this fish, "one of the most spectacularly beautiful animals on earth; one of the largest and fastest, as well as the most heavily armed of all fishes;...[and] one of the ocean realm's most powerful hunters." Ellis reviews the history of the swordfish and its ancestors, known through fossils, and how changing climate and other factors have affected their range, both past and the present. Ellis discusses the biology of the swordfish; whether swordfish and their relatives, which include marlins, spearfish, and sailfish, are dangerous to humans; and concerns related to swordfish consumption, such as mercury and parasites. With many photographs and illustrations%E2%80%94from sport hunters with their giant, armed catches to paintings of related fish by the author%E2%80%94and stimulating, flowing text, readers will find themselves absorbing many details about this fascinating creature. 51 halftones, 3 line drawings. (Apr.)