Massive 1,260-Pound Blue Marlin Sets New East Coast Record
A Massachusetts charter crew landed a historic blue marlin off Atlantis Canyon, shattering state and regional records.
A fishing trip approximately 100 miles off Cape Cod resulted in the largest Atlantic blue marlin ever recorded on the U.S. East Coast. On August 19, Captain Damon Sacco and his crew aboard the Castafari landed a 1,260-pound fish near Atlantis Canyon. The catch surpassed the previous North Carolina record of 1,228 pounds and shattered the Massachusetts state record of 873 pounds established in 2015.
The massive marlin fell just 142 pounds short of the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) all-tackle world record for Atlantic blue marlin, which stands at 1,402 pounds.
The Fight and Logistics
According to On The Water, Sacco’s crew was trolling through Atlantis Canyon when they noticed birds working over a school of fish. While the area was active with yellowfin tuna, Sacco spotted an enormous dorsal fin that he initially mistook for a large shark before identifying it as a blue marlin.
Walter Chapman, a lifelong fisherman from Plymouth, Massachusetts, hooked into the fish and engaged in a three-hour battle on rod and reel. During the fight, the marlin repeatedly jumped and made powerful runs. At one point, the fish stripped line so quickly that Sacco had to turn the Castafari to follow it and prevent Chapman from being spooled.
The crew eventually brought the fish alongside the 45-foot Jim Smith Express sportfisher. Due to its immense girth, the marlin was too large to fit entirely inside the vessel, with nearly half of the body protruding through the tuna door during the transit back to Falmouth Harbor.
Weighing and Analysis
A crowd gathered at MacDougall’s Cape Cod Marine Service to witness the weigh-in. While some spectators estimated the fish would fall short of 1,000 pounds, Sacco personally guessed a weight of 1,040 pounds before the scale settled at 1,260 pounds.
The fish measured 142 inches from the tip of the lower jaw to the fork of the tail. Because blue marlin are seasonal visitors that prefer warmer waters, this catch represents a significant occurrence for New England waters.
Following the weigh-in, the crew removed the head and sent it to the Pelagic Fisheries Lab at the University of Maine. Walt Golet, director of the lab, estimated the fish could be between 25 and 30 years old based on its size. Researchers will examine the fish’s otoliths to confirm its exact age.
Aftermath
The meat was distributed among the crew and spectators in Falmouth. Chapman noted that he intended to find ways to share his portion, stating, “I wasn’t going to eat a 1,200 pound fish all by myself,” according to OutdoorHub.
While some observers on social media expressed regret over the harvest of such a large breeder, the catch is being recognized as a historic milestone for East Coast offshore fishing.