| Summary: | This report describes the June, 2019 ICCAT workshop on swordfish biology studies for growth, reproduction and genetics, hosted by the Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera, Olhão, Portugal . The major objectives of the workshop were to 1) refine sampling and biological data collection protocols, 2) develop protocols and start the sample processing and analysis, and 3) plan for the project future steps. The biological sampling program was established by ICCAT’s Swordfish Species Group in 2018, aiming to improve knowledge of the stock distribution, age and gender of the catch, growth rate, age at maturation, maturation rate, spawning season and location and diet. This work will contribute to the next major advance in the assessment of swordfish status, by permitting the development of more spatially and biologically realistic population models used in both Atlantic and Mediterranean populations assessments and within the ICCAT Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) for North Atlantic swordfish.
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