You Won't Believe The Size Of This Blue Marlin Just Caught In Kona, Hawaii
A fishing charter reeled in a massive grander blue marlin in Kona, Hawaii, on Tuesday — the largest fish caught off the state's coast in nearly a decade.
The 1,124-pound blue marlin, caught by the crew of the Sea Baby III, measured 178 inches (14.83 feet) in overall length and 82 inches (6.83 feet) in girth. Angler David Aegler called it "a fish I could've only dreamed of."
A "grander" blue marlin is simply a blue marlin that weighs more than 1,000 pounds. And so far, this is the second grander caught in Kona this year. The first one was a 1,081.5-pound behemoth reeled in by Captain Teddy Hoogs’ Big Game Sportfishing Charters in August.
Blue marlin are known for being powerful, aggressive fighters that can run long distances, leap high and dive deep. Combine that with the grander's sheer size, and catching one is a monumental feat.
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And as colossal as this particular fish is, it still falls a couple of hundred pounds short of the biggest ever. The IGFA world record for a Pacific Blue Marlin is a whopping 1,376-pounder, caught by Jay de Beaubien in Kona in 1982.
In 2015, Guy Kitaoka came close to taking the title when he caught a grander in Kona that was just 8 pounds shy of the world record.
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The largest blue marlin ever caught on rod and reel, however, was a 1,805-pound fish snagged in 1970 by Captain Cornelius Choy and his crew on the Coreene C in Oahu. Unfortunately, though, the catch was disqualified from the IGFA all-tackle world record because the anglers handed it off several times during the fight, which lasted less than two hours.
The Billfish Conservation Act prohibits the sale, import, or possession of billfish, including blue marlin, in the mainland United States. But Hawaii is exempt from this law and is the only state where blue marlin can be sold in stores and restaurants.
In Hawaiii, tradition dictates that when a blue marlin is kept and weighed, its meat is harvested and shared among the local community. And 1,100 pounds of marlin meat goes a long way.