In this strange story from the Maine wilderness, Dan Reed, 56, of Southwest Harbor remembers an event from his childhood in which he watched a swordfish duel with a lobster trap.
“When I was a young boy of 11 or 12, I watched a swordfish play with a toggle on a lobster trap line for as much as 15 minutes,” Reed wrote. “I was in a small row boat off Greenings Island at the time, just a mile or so from Southwest Harbor. This was only in probably 45 feet of water — pretty shallow for swordfish. I can still remember it to this day, like the time they caught a whale off Seawall Beach and brought it up to the road and cut it up and sold the meat. My mother still has a piece of the dried whale skin in an envelope with her old pictures.”
When asked to describe exactly what he saw, Reed wrote, “The swordfish was playing with the toggle by just batting it around sort of back and forth with its sword, which looked to be 2 1/2 to 3 feet long. I could really only see the sword and part of the head, but they are pretty much unmistakable.”
“I’ve never heard of one being seen inshore like that, but I know what I saw, and I know strange things like that do happen,” he said. “In the early 1980s, there were a small pod of killer whales seen all around Mount Desert Island, and some fishermen got pictures of them in Bass Harbor. I’ve never heard of them being seen around here before or since.”
Named for its sharp, elongated upper jaw and snout, swordfish can be found worldwide throughout the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. They enter the Gulf of Maine in the summer, and feast primarily on other fish.
They’re frequently seen swimming close to the surface, but they’ll also swim down to depths of 2,000 feet or greater, according to a fact sheet provided by the Florida Museum of Natural History. They’re solitary animals, rarely gathering in schools.
In describing the swordfish’s length, Reed was spot on. A large swordfish can reach about 10 feet long, with the “sword” or bill taking up nearly one-third of that length. The fish uses its pointed bill to slash and stun prey, but contrary to popular belief, it does not actually stab prey with it.
Interestingly, swordfish often suffer from a variety of parasites, including worms and fish that will attach to the exterior of the fish, including its sword. Long scrapes found on the bodies of swordfish suggest that they rub against objects to rid themselves of some of these pests, according to a fisheries synopsis about swordfish published by the U.S. Department of Commerce in 1981. Could this explain why the swordfish that Reed observed so long ago appeared to be dueling with the lobster trap line? We’ll never know for sure.
Do you have a strange story from the Maine wilderness?
While spending time in the Maine outdoors, have you ever seen or experienced something that was amazing, amusing or strange? If so, you can submit your story and any accompanying photos to Aislinn Sarnacki by emailing asarnacki@bangordailynews.com. If your story is selected for this series, you’ll be notified beforehand. All stories are lightly edited for clarity.