Broadbill Swordfish at MOUA

Stunning observation of rare fish to commence Citizen Science month

Today, April 1st, marks the start of Citizen Science Month, an annual event focused on engaging the public in scientific research and data collection. This year, SciStarter and partners are encouraging participation in citizen science projects to earn a digital badge for participating in "One Million Acts of Science 2025”.

The Broadbill swordfish (Xiphias gladius) is a large, highly migratory, predatory fish characterized by a long, flat bill. This species is superficially similar to other billfish ,such as black marlin. Citizen scientists have made 223 observations of this species using the iNaturalist app. These fish are found widely in tropical and temperate parts of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. They can typically be found from near the surface to a depth of 550 m and exceptionally up to depths of 2,234 m. Executive Officer of the MOUA and keen citizen scientists and fish watcher, Jacinta Jefferies sai,d “OMG- I could not believe my eyes. It was big, fast and friendly”.

Is it safe to snorkel or dive with swordfish? Our resident fish expert A\Professor Adam Smith said “yes, the popular image of the swordfish skewering its prey with its nose is based on little evidence. In a typical environment, swordfish most likely use their noses to slash at prey and inflict weakening injuries. There has only been one documented case in 2015 where a fisherman in Hawaii was killed after being impaled by a swordfish and attacks are extremely rare”.

Observing a swordfish in the wild is very, very rare. However, the Coral Greenhouse does attract resident fish such as batfish, barracuda, red emperor, and cuttlefish. Broadbill swordfish feed on giant squid and cephalopods. We have checked the wind, moon, and tide calculations, and the best time to potentially view the Broadbill swordfish at the Museum of Underwater Art this month is Thursday, 10 April. We anticipate that this will be a very popular dive trip, and bookings will be filled quickly.

The Museum of Underwater Art is a local and global leader in citizen science and is proud of the 6,820 observations and 605 species made by 58 observers and 233 identifiers. This number of observations is higher than James Cook University's Orpheus Island Research Station (2,948) and almost as high as the Australia Museum Lizard Island Life (7,542).

If you are interested in billfish (and sharks) and want to know more join Dr Jullian Pepperell for his online talk “Pelagic passions” from 10am on the 16^th April. Link here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1285226149251634

More information:

One million acts of science

https://scistarter.org/citizensciencemonth

https://scistarter.org/citizen-science-at-moua

Citizen science at Museum of Underwater Art

https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/projects/citizen-science-at-moua-john-brewer-reef

Broadbill swordfish

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/115167-Xiphias-gladius

P.S. April Fools!

Contact Adrenalin Dive to book a citizen science trip on 10^th April 0467 034 932

For any further questions, contact:

Adam Smith adam.smith@reefecologic.org 0418 726 584