Delaware State Record Swordfish

In Delaware, a 358-pound swordfish caught on Sept. 7 set a new state record for the species. The record-setting swordfish measured 90 inches long, with a girth of 47.5 inches.

Following a nearly three-hour battle, recreational angler Kurt Lorenz of Burke, Va., landed the fish on 80-pound test line in the area of Poor Man’s Canyon about 70 miles east of the Maryland-Virginia coast. The catch is recognized as a Delaware record since the fish was caught from a vessel out of and returning to a Delaware port.

The record catch was initially confirmed by Fish and Wildlife Enforcement agent Agent First Class Shea Lindale, who responded to a report of a potential state record at Lewes Harbour Marina. Certified scales at Lewes Harbour Marina were used to weigh the swordfish the next morning.

The fish was processed at the Lewes Harbour cleaning station by Capt. Joe Morris. Morris noted it was a prized “pumpkin swordfish,” distinguished by its pinkish orange flesh, believed to be the result of naturally occurring carotenes from its diet of shrimp and other prawns.

Lorenz’s record-sized catch tops the previous record, a 276-pound, 12-ounce swordfish caught by angler Albert Scott in 1978. The new record holder will be entered in the books for the 2013 Delaware Sport Fishing Tournament.

For more information on the Delaware Sport Fishing Tournament, please consult the 2013 Delaware Fishing Guide available at  local tackle shops or online at www.fw.delaware.gov/fisheries

source: DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife