The Crimson Broadbill

About the Book

“ ‘Gaff the damn eye,’ Cooters yelled. I planted my feet and placed the hook over her head.” So begins my first experience with the bloody slaughter of some of the world’s largest and most-endangered migratory predators of the seas.

This true story, of my first job aboard a commercial swordboat, vividly details the risks of living and working over the deepest ocean canyons in pursuit of the giant swordfish. These powerful and dangerous creatures are disappearing at an alarming rate. Read why these predators are vanishing and what can be done to save them. For an excerpt, please go to the bottom of this page.

January 2004 "Your book is an excellent piece of work...Your combination of personal narrative, informative details and environmental exposition is so well set forth and commanding that I read it all."
Stanton A. Waterman, Pioneer underwater film producer and photographer, FILMS UNDER THE SEA

April 2003 "Dr. Thomas Armbruster, a marine biologist and physician, presents a first-hand description of the excitement, danger, and challenges working aboard an offshore commercial long-lining fishing boat. Through his eyes we also see the devastation caused by overfishing to the magnificent swordfish. This is a most interesting and entertaining chronicle of his experiences; anybody interested in the ocean and its creatures will find this to be an excellent read."
David A. Ross, Ph.D., Scientist Emeritus, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

March 2003 "The Crimson Broadbill is the most interesting combination of autobiography and sea story that I´ve ever encountered! It offers a thoughtful discourse on the plight of sharks, whales,and particularly swordfish, resulting from man´s predation. Dr. Armbruster´s treatments are well-reasoned and it is difficult to argue with a scientist who has actually done his sea time!"
Dr. Robert B. Abel, President Emeritus, New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium and Founding Director, National Sea Grant Program

"The Crimson Broadbill is a proficient account of the problems facing swordfish, tunas and other migratory fish in the Atlantic. Against the backdrop of a dramatic and captivating storyline based on his own sea-going experience, Dr. Armbruster brings needed attention to the plight of these pelagic fish and the dire need to conserve them. The Crimson Broadbill is a must-read for anyone interested in either catching or studying the oceans ´biggest fish.´"
Tim Hobbs, Fisheries Project Director, National Coalition for Marine Conservation (NCMC)

December 26, 2002 The Star-Ledger by Captain Al Ristori

"As depicted in ´The Perfect Storm,´ longlining is a mixed bag of experiences ranging from the elation of a big catch and prospective riches to the grind of constant work and little rest for weeks, when the result may involve little or no return. A fresh look at that fascinating industry and its effect on the prime species sought is provided in Tom Armbruster´s ´The Crimson Broadbill.´

Armbruster didn´t realize what he was getting into when he signed on for a summer trip aboard the Defiance out of Barnegat Light as a work/study project for his marine biology major at Stockton College. That experience wasn´t successful from a monetary viewpoint, but it resulted in this book, which combines the tedium and thrills of everyday life at sea with the biological aspects of commercial swordfishing that led to severe depletion,in American waters, before the recent improvement following imposition of strict conservation regulations. Armbruster eventually switched career tracks and is now a physician practicing at the Shore."

Al Ristori, Saltwater Editor, appears regularly in

About the Author

The author grew up near the New Jersey shore and was always fascinated with the sea. He attended Richard Stockton State College as a marine biology major. During sophomore year, he joined a work/study program onboard a commercial swordfish boat, requiring him to keep a daily journal, and it is from this experience that he has written The Crimson Broadbill. The following year, while working with a mobile intensive care paramedic unit, he decided on a career in medicine. After college, the author earned an M.D. degree and currently practices medicine at the New Jersey shore.