Massachusetts anglers haul 1,260-pound Atlantic blue marlin, near world record

Two Massachusetts fishermen aboard the Castafari battled a 1,260-pound Atlantic blue marlin off Cape Cod for about three hours, initially mistaking it for a shark. The fish weighed 1,260 pounds on an IGFA-certified scale in Falmouth, likely a Massachusetts state record and among the largest Atlantic blue marlins caught off the East Coast, approaching the world record of 1,402 pounds. Scientists estimate the fish at 25–30 years old, and the meat will be shared among about a dozen people.