Fishing crew denied $3.5M in prize money after 600-pound marlin DQ’d in tournament
- 11 months ago
The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in North Carolina ended in controversy after the crew dubbed Sensation boasted a whopping 619-pound marlin Saturday that would have clinched the team members more than $3 million in prize money, but was disallowed because it appeared to be bitten by sharks.
A shark took a bite out of one crew’s dream of winning a high-stakes fishing competition when the massive marlin they reeled in was disqualified by tournament officials for being mutilated.
The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in North Carolina ended in controversy after the crew dubbed Sensation boasted a whopping 619-pound marlin Saturday that would have clinched the team members more than $3 million in prize money, but was disallowed because it appeared to be bitten by sharks.
“It was determined that Sensation’s 619.4 lb. Blue Marlin is disqualified due to mutilation caused by a shark or other marine animal,” the tourney officials wrote in a statement Sunday. “It was deemed that the fish was mutilated before it was landed or boated and therefore it was disqualified.”
The decision came after “careful deliberation and discussions” with tournament officials and experts.
Sensation’s captain, Greg McCoy, told the Washington Post his crew believed they were winners after battling to hook the huge marlin for hours.
A shark took a bite out of one crew’s dream of winning a high-stakes fishing competition when the massive marlin they reeled in was disqualified by tournament officials for being mutilated.
The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in North Carolina ended in controversy after the crew dubbed Sensation boasted a whopping 619-pound marlin Saturday that would have clinched the team members more than $3 million in prize money, but was disallowed because it appeared to be bitten by sharks.
“It was determined that Sensation’s 619.4 lb. Blue Marlin is disqualified due to mutilation caused by a shark or other marine animal,” the tourney officials wrote in a statement Sunday. “It was deemed that the fish was mutilated before it was landed or boated and therefore it was disqualified.”
The decision came after “careful deliberation and discussions” with tournament officials and experts.
Sensation’s captain, Greg McCoy, told the Washington Post his crew believed they were winners after battling to hook the huge marlin for hours.