After examining an eye found on a Pompano beach, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission researchers said the specimen came from a swordfish.
Genetic testing will be done to confirm the identification.
"Experts on site and remotely have viewed and analyzed the eye, and based on its color, size and structure, along with the presence of bone around it, we believe the eye came from a swordfish," said Joan Herrera, curator of collections at the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg. "Based on straight-line cuts visible around the eye, we believe it was removed by a fisherman and discarded."
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After examining an eye found on a Pompano beach, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission researchers said the specimen came from a swordfish.
The softball-size eye was recovered by a citizen in Pompano Beach Oct. 10. FWC staff received the eye later that day. Swordfish are commonly fished in the Florida Straits offshore of south Florida at this time of year.
The highly migratory swordfish can be found from the surface to as deep as 2,000 feet. Swordfish in the Atlantic Ocean can reach a maximum size of more than 1,100 pounds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Swordfish feed on a wide variety of fish and invertebrates.
