Like disqualifying a beautiful piece of meat due to a bit of marbling, the winning boat owner and its crew are not taking the official ruling lightly. Stating that the damage sustained to the fish was minor and superficial in nature, they are standing up for what they believe was incorrectly taken from them.
Taking part in the 65th edition of the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament out of Morehead City, NC, the boat Sensation and her crew landed what was undoubtedly the largest marlin of this year’s tournament. After an intense six-hour fight, the crew managed to land the massive marlin, hooked during the last hour of the last day of the tournament.
Captain Greg McCoy made it known to officials on shore that he and his team were heading in with what they believed to be the tournament winning fish.
“Guys, it’s really simple,” Big Rock announcer Tommy Bennett told thousands of people who waited with anticipation at Big Rock Landing. “If it’s more than 500 pounds, Sensation is the winner.”
The crowd gathered in anticipation as the blue marlin was given an unofficial weight of 619.4 pounds to loud cheers from the boat’s crew and the crowd gathered on the docks. Spirits were quickly dampened as tournament officials began to inspect the fish, paying particular attention to small bite marks and scratches near the tail of the marlin.
Officials later announced that the fish would be disqualified because of the injuries sustained before it was officially landed. According to Rule #23 in the Big Rock Official Rules, IGFA rules state that any mutilation to the fish prior to landing it leads to instant disqualification.
The statement reads:
“The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament follows IGFA rules regarding mutilated fish as outlined in Rule #23 in the Big Rock Official Rules. IGFA rules state that the following situation will disqualify a fish: ‘Mutilation to the fish, prior to landing or boating the catch, caused by sharks, other fish, mammals, or propellers that remove or penetrate the flesh.’ This decision is consistent with prior decisions made by the tournament in similar circumstances over the last 65 years.”
Following the disqualification, the prize was awarded to Sushi who managed to land a 484.5 pound marlin that was determined not to have been tampered with prior to landing. Because the winning fish did not eclipse the 500-pound mark that Sensation’s fish obliterated, they missed out on the $739,500 bonus, and will be awarded the $2.7 million in total prize money, should the results stand.
Sensation’s owner has since filed an official protest to the results, citing a 2019-winning fish that weighed in at a whopping 914 pounds that displayed substantial damage. While tournament officials that year deemed the fish was damaged by the boat rather than sharks or other fish, representatives from Sensation have stated that there were obvious bite marks on Top Dog’s winning fish.
In addition to the official protest, Sensation has retained legal counsel should the case be turned over to the courts.
While the pending protest has cast a grim shadow over what should have been a victorious day for Sensation and her crew, fisherman Bailey Gore, who landed the marlin, still believes the experience was nothing short of incredible.
“The paycheck would be pretty cool, but the experience is worth it all,” he said.
Due diligence is underway with tournament officials and a final ruling should be made within the coming weeks.
