Two fishermen in Massachusetts spent three hours battling to catch what initially appeared to be a shark, but they soon discovered it was likely the largest Atlantic blue marlin ever caught off the East Coast.

Unexpected Catch Off Cape Cod

Damon Stacco shared that the day began unsuccessfully. After loading their boat with yellowfin tuna, he noticed a fin while fishing around 100 miles off Cape Cod. Posting on Instagram, he described seeing a “huge dorsal,” initially thinking it was a shark, until noticing its blue hue. “Holy… it’s a marlin!” he exclaimed, as the line pulled from his grasp.

Record-Breaking Scale

Walter Chapman and Damon Stacco, captain of the Castafari, posed with the massive marlin in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The catch weighed 1,260 pounds on an IGFA-certified scale, making it a candidate for the Atlantic blue marlin state record. This marlin was just 142 pounds short of the world record caught off Brazil decades ago.

Challenge and Recognition

Stacco credited Chapman for much of the hard work on the charter boat, humorously stating his role was “driving the bus and yelling.” Walt Golet, from the University of Maine Pelagic Fisheries Lab, noted the rarity of such a catch due to normally cold waters in the area. The marlin’s head was taken to the lab for age confirmation, estimated to be around 25 to 30 years old.

Distribution Plans

Chapman planned to divide the meat among a dozen people, acknowledging he couldn’t consume it alone. The marlin also left damage on the boat’s transom, which Stacco referred to as “war marks.”