A fishing crew at the 65th annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament is feeling down on Tuesday after their record-setting blue marlin was disqualified.
Officials disqualified the 619.4-pound marlin caught by the anglers on the Sensation team due to mutilation caused by a shark or another marine creature before it was brought aboard.
Consequently, the second-place team, Sushi, claimed the $2.7 million grand prize with their catch of a 484.5-pound blue marlin. The six-day competition held in Morehead City, North Carolina, from June 12-17 included some of the top anglers in the world competing for the prestigious blue marlin trophy and a record purse exceeding $5 million.
The tournament kicked off with excitement on the first day when C-Student, a 72-foot Viking boat, landed a 470.2-pound blue marlin, the heaviest catch of the day and the third heaviest in the tournament. On the second day, Chasin’ A, a 61-foot Garlington boat from the Cayman Islands, made another significant catch with a 479.8-pound blue marlin, the second heaviest caught in the tournament. The third day was quieter, with no blue marlins weighed in but several releases reported.
The fourth day proved the most dramatic as Sushi, a 57-foot Island Boat Works vessel from Nags Head, took the lead with their 484.5-pound blue marlin, the heaviest catch of the tournament, ultimately securing the win.
But the excitement didn’t stop there; Sensation, a 52-foot Scarborough boat from Morehead City, caught a gigantic 619.4-pound blue marlin at 8:22 p.m., just moments before the fishing cutoff. The crowd at Big Rock Landing erupted in cheers as Sensation arrived with what appeared to be the new leading catch and a potential record-breaker.
However, after thorough consideration and discussions with biologists and representatives from NC State CMAST, NC Marine Fisheries, and IGFA, the tournament’s rules committee and board disqualified Sensation’s catch due to the aforementioned mutilation.
“After careful discussions between the tournament’s Rules Committee and Board of Directors along with biologists from both NC State CMAST and NC Marine Fisheries, as well as an International Game Fish Association official, it was established that SENSATION’S 619.4-lb Blue Marlin is disqualified due to shark-induced or marine animal-induced mutilation. It was determined that the fish was already harmed before it was landed or boated, leading to its disqualification,” stated the tournament.
The tournament insists that this decision aligns with previous rulings, but Sensation’s Captain Greg McCoy disagreed with their verdict.
Consequently, Sushi was announced as the first-place winner of the 65th annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament for their catch of 484.5 pounds of blue marlin, resulting in a prize of $1.9 million. Chasin’ A secured second place with a 479.8-pound blue marlin, winning $1.1 million. C-Student placed third with their catch of 470.2 pounds of blue marlin, earning $662,000.