World record blackfin tuna caught at Miami Dolphins event

iStockphoto / chaney1

Jimmy Johnson and the Miami Dolphins held the 25th annual Fins Weekend this past weekend and this year’s fishing tournament made history when angler Bob Kowalski threw an IGFA. fishing world record For black tuna.

The previous IGFA fishing world record for blackfin tuna was a 49-pound, 6-ounce fish caught near Marathon in the Florida Keys by angler Matthew E. Pullen in 2006.

This new world record black tuna was caught by angler Bob Kowalksi and was certified by a biologist at 50.1 pounds and is now pending the IGFA world record, assuming all paperwork is filed. For context, the average black tuna caught in Florida only weighs about 7 pounds, and while delicious, at that size it often makes excellent marlin bait. A video has made the rounds of this incredible fish:

Fisherman Bob Kowalski, who caught the record blackfin tuna, was fishing with the Sinnick family aboard the Miss Britt 34 Express. All boats left Regatta Harbor Marina in Coconut Grove in search of tuna, mahi mahi and trevally, with prizes paid for each of these pelagic species.

Sinnick, who Kowalksi fished with, has participated in 21 of the 25 Fins Weekend fishing tournaments with Jimmy Johnson and the Miami Dolphins, but this was the first time he participated in something this special since this tuna at Black fins was the first world record. release of fish caught in the history of the tournament.

The players and coaches all participated in the event, including Raheem Mosert, Zach Sieler and others. According to a Dolphins press release, the largest jack caught weighed 35.3 pounds and was landed by MacDaddy. Knot The Same won the Mahi Mahi (dolphin) division with a 16.3 pound fish. And Miss Britt Express, of course, won the tuna division with her new world record fishing for blackfin tuna.

Blackfin tuna is by far the most commonly caught species of tuna on Florida’s Atlantic coast. The area from south Fort Lauderdale to the Florida Keys offers arguably the best blackfin tuna fishing in the world. So this is a particularly important fishing record in my home state of Florida.