In partnership with sport fishing organizations and conservation groups, FISH Unlimited organized the Armada of the Swordfish initiative to raise awareness about the drastic decline of North Atlantic swordfish populations.
Data showed that almost 60 percent of Atlantic swordfish caught in the late 1990s never get the chance to reproduce. The average weight of caught swordfish dropped from several hundred pounds to under 90 pounds, indicating severe overfishing of juvenile fish.
FISH Unlimited called upon recreational anglers, charter boat captains, and concerned citizens to join in a unified effort to demand stronger regulation of commercial longline fishing operations that were decimating swordfish nursery areas.