Swordfish in Costa Rica

What a swordfish is

The swordfish, or broadbill (Xiphias gladius), is the only member of its family. Its bill is long and flat like a blade, not round like a marlin's spear, and adults have no scales, no teeth and no pelvic fins. The body is dark brownish-purple on top, fading to lighter below, with a tall, rigid first dorsal fin and a huge eye that helps it hunt in the dark.

FishBase lists a maximum of 455 cm fork length and 650 kg. Swordfish spend the day very deep, often hundreds of metres down, and many rise toward the surface at night to feed on squid and fish. They have a special organ that warms the eyes and brain, which helps them hunt in cold deep water.

Swordfish in Costa Rica

Swordfish live in the open Pacific off Costa Rica, far offshore and deep. Most of the swordfish landed here are caught by commercial longline boats: INCOPESCA's 2026 report on its longline fleet lists swordfish among the main fish kept by those boats, alongside dorado and marlin. MarViva's guide notes that blue marlin are often caught by accident on longlines set for swordfish.

For sport anglers, the picture is different. Costa Rica's charter fleets are built around sailfish, marlin, dorado, tuna and inshore fish, and a swordfish on a Costa Rican sport boat is a rare event. We couldn't find any operator with a regular, documented swordfish program, so treat any trip as a long shot rather than a sure thing. (The old version of this page suggested swordfish were plentiful and easy to find on night trips from many towns, which isn't the case.)

How swordfish are fished for

In places where swordfishing is popular, such as Florida, two methods are common:

• Night drifting: baits such as squid are set at different depths with lights, while the boat drifts over deep water.
• Daytime deep dropping: a bait is sent down hundreds of metres on heavy tackle, with weights and electric reels, to where the fish rest by day.

Both need a lot of specialised gear and a crew that knows how to use it. If swordfish are your goal in Costa Rica, ask operators directly whether they have the equipment and recent experience before you book. Otherwise, think of a swordfish as a bonus on an offshore day rather than the plan.

The rules

Swordfish aren't on Costa Rica's list of species of tourist and sport-fishing interest in the fisheries law, but they're treated as billfish under several rules:

• INCOPESCA requires circle hooks when fishing for marlin, sailfish and swordfish with live or dead natural bait (agreement AJDIP/439-2003, as summarised in MarViva's guide).
• INCOPESCA's agreement AJDIP/280-2014 bans placing caught fish on the gunwale for photos and using gaffs or hooks to bring billfish alongside, except for world-record or approved-tournament fish.
• The fisheries regulation (Decreto 36782, article 68) limits sport anglers to landing 5 fish per trip for their own use and bans selling sport catches.

Everyone fishing from a boat needs an INCOPESCA sport fishing licence (Ley 8436, article 75). If a swordfish comes to the boat in good shape, releasing it is the best choice.

Eating quality

Swordfish has firm, meaty, mild flesh and is popular in restaurants. It's also high in mercury, and the US Food and Drug Administration lists swordfish among the fish that pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children should avoid.