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A total of 132 stomachs were collected in 1992-93 from swordfish caught on drifting longlines near the Azores. Contents were sorted completely into components which comprised all stages of digested fish and cephalopods from complete fish to fragments of muscle, bones, otoliths and beaks of cephalopods. Fish and larger bones which could be identified all belonged to Capros aper. Lepidopus caudatus, Pagellus bogaraveo, myctophids, and the fish used as bait, Trachurus picturatus. Flesh of the squids Todarodes sagittatus, Pholidoteuthis boschmai and the squid used as bait Illex sp. was also present. 1249 otoliths and 120 cephalopod lower beaks were identified to genus or species. There was a mean of 3.1 species and 18 animals represented in each stomach. Fish remains occurred in 98.4% of the stomachs and contributed 93.4% of animals in the diet. Cephalopod remains occurred in 37.4% and contributed 5.8% of animals. Estimates of the weights of fish and cephalopods show that cephalopods provide 50.5% and fish species 49.5% of the stomach contents. The most important constituents of the diet by decreasing % estimated weight are Ommastrephes bartrami (24.4%), Lepidopus caudatus (17.4%), Pholidoteuthis boschmai (15.9%), Capros aper (14.9%), Beryx spp. (5.4%), Micromesistius poutassou (4.3%), Onychoteuthis sp. (3.9%), Moroteuthis sp. (2.7%) and Pagellus bogaraveo (2.2%). In all, there are more than 18 species of fish and 22 species of cephalopod in the diet. Size distributions of otoliths and beaks are presented. The species include bottom and midwater forms from both oceanic and near island water and depths. A …