It was the perfect catch, right at the perfect moment — shiny scales, big, gaping maw, huge fins — and it weighed over 600 pounds (272 kg), more than any other fish caught that week.
Not to mention, it was caught only an hour before the tournament ended after an intense six-hour battle to reel it in.
Greg McCoy was sure the humungous blue marlin he and his team, Sensation, caught on Saturday would be the winner of the prestigious Blue Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in Morehead City, North Carolina — a contest with a $3.5 million prize.
But because of a niche rule in the tournament guidelines, the winnings ultimately went to another team, who caught a marlin weighing 135 pounds less than Sensation's.
All the team's hard work and their massive payday was ripped away from them by a shark.
According to tournament guidelines, any mutilation to the fish that removes or penetrates the flesh instantly disqualifies a fish.
And that's exactly what happened to the Sensation's 600-pound whopper.
"It was determined that the SENSATION's 619.4lb Blue Marlin is disqualified due to mutilation caused by a shark or other marine animal," wrote The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in an official statement on Sunday. "It was deemed that the fish was mutilated before it was landed or boated and therefore it was disqualified."
"The decision is consistent with prior decisions made by the tournament in similar circumstances over the last 65 years," the statement continued.
So, the title went to team Sushi's 484.5-pound fish instead, along with $2.77 million.
The additional nearly $740,000 was not awarded to Sushi, as the team's fish weighed less than 500 pounds — Sensation's fish would have been the first catch over 500 pounds of the season, which would have bagged the team the additional money.
That money will now roll over to next year, meaning the 2024 prize could be over $4 million.
“It’s the final hour, the final day and we fought with him for six hours,” McCoy told The Washington Post after the team's disqualification. “It’s a tough pill to swallow.”
He said he was shocked by the mutilation rule after landing the fish amid hoots and hollers from onlookers.
There were 271 boats that competed in the tournament this year, according to the statement.
