Charter boat hauls in 1,260-pound blue marlin believed to be East Coast’s largest catch

Charter boat hauls in 1,260-pound blue marlin believed to be East Coast’s largest catch 1 of 4 | A Massachusetts charter fishing captain and a client have caught what they believe is the largest Atlantic blue marlin in U.S. East Coast history. 2 of 4 | This photo provided by Jimmy Fee shows Walter Chapman, left, and Damon Sacco, captain of the Castafari, right, posing with an enormous blue marlin that they caught off the coast of Massachusetts, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Falmouth, Mass. (Jimmy Fee via AP) 3 of 4 | This photo provided by Jimmy Fee shows the crew of the Castafari arriving in Falmouth Harbor with a giant blue marlin, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Falmouth, Mass. (Jimmy Fee via AP) 4 of 4 | This photo provided by Katie Curan shows a large Atlantic blue marlin caught by Damon Sacco and his crew Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Falmouth, Mass. (Katie Curran via AP) 1 of 4 A Massachusetts charter fishing captain and a client have caught what they believe is the largest Atlantic blue marlin in U.S. East Coast history. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 4 | This photo provided by Jimmy Fee shows Walter Chapman, left, and Damon Sacco, captain of the Castafari, right, posing with an enormous blue marlin that they caught off the coast of Massachusetts, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Falmouth, Mass. (Jimmy Fee via AP) 2 of 4 This photo provided by Jimmy Fee shows Walter Chapman, left, and Damon Sacco, captain of the Castafari, right, posing with an enormous blue marlin that they caught off the coast of Massachusetts, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Falmouth, Mass. (Jimmy Fee via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 3 of 4 | This photo provided by Jimmy Fee shows the crew of the Castafari arriving in Falmouth Harbor with a giant blue marlin, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Falmouth, Mass. (Jimmy Fee via AP) 3 of 4 This photo provided by Jimmy Fee shows the crew of the Castafari arriving in Falmouth Harbor with a giant blue marlin, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Falmouth, Mass. (Jimmy Fee via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 4 of 4 | This photo provided by Katie Curan shows a large Atlantic blue marlin caught by Damon Sacco and his crew Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Falmouth, Mass. (Katie Curran via AP) 4 of 4 This photo provided by Katie Curan shows a large Atlantic blue marlin caught by Damon Sacco and his crew Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Falmouth, Mass. (Katie Curran via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Damon Sacco had never seen anything like the fish he and fellow anglers fought for hours in the waters off Massachusetts. As it rose from the depths, it looked like a glimmering blue spaceship.Sacco, a longtime Massachusetts charter fishing boat captain, saw the giant fin break the surface, and at first he thought he was dealing with an enormous shark.“Then I got a better look at it and thought, dang, that thing’s pointed,” he said. “But that’s too big for a marlin.”He was wrong. Sacco and his client Walter Chapman landed what they and others believe is the largest Atlantic blue marlin ever caught off the U.S. East Coast on Wednesday. The massive billfish, more than 11 feet (335 cm) in length, weighed 1,260 pounds (571.5 kilograms) when they got it back to land in Falmouth, Massachusetts.That was just 142 pounds (64.4 kilograms) shy of the world record for an Atlantic blue marlin, caught off Brazil in 1992, according to records kept by the International Game Fish Association. To catch such a huge fish off New England might be even more remarkable, said Walt Golet, director of the University of Maine Pelagic Fisheries Lab and an associate professor at the university’s marine sciences school. The water is too cold for them in the Northeast most of the year, making the window to catch a big one very narrow.The fish’s head was on its way to the UMaine lab to determine its age, said Golet, who speculated that it could be in the range of 25 to 30 years.