What a catch!

Heaviest tuna caught at the Wedgeport tuna tourney was 680 lbs

A good crowd attended the final weigh-in during the 15th annual Wedgeport Tuna Tournament and Festival. It was a whopper!

The Tuna Wharf in Lower Wedgeport was filled with spectators on Saturday for the 15th annual Wedgeport Tuna Tournament and Festival weigh-in. A total of 37 tunas were landed during the tournament by the 16 vessels that participated.

Winning the Milton J. LeBlanc Memorial Cup for Heaviest Bluefin tuna was Keepin’ Busy, captained by Cory Nickerson, with a 680-pound catch. Taking top honour for Heaviest Bluefin from the Hell Hole (360 pounds) was the Jasmine et Lexie, captained by Andre Cottreau. The Blake & Jorgia, captained by John Malone, recorded the Heaviest Overall Weight for the tournament (1,086 lbs) landing one bluefin and six big eye tunas.

In total, there were 16 bluefin, 20 big eye and one albacore landed during the tournament. Each year the South West Nova Tuna Association allocates 3,200 pounds of bluefin tuna quota from the commercial fishery for the tournament. Since its revival in 2004, the biggest bluefin landed in the tournament was caught in 2014 by the Atlantic Angler, weighing in at 796 pounds. Fishermen help offload tuna from one of the vessels that participated in the annual tuna tournament. Cory Nickerson hoists the Milton J. LeBlanc Memorial Cup in victory after he and his crew aboard the Keepin’ Busy landed the heaviest Bluefin tuna (680 pounds) in the 15th annual Wedgeport Tuna Tournament and Festival. The festival also included a week filled with activities and events in the community with hundreds of volunteers and sponsors helping make it possible. The next generation of fishers enjoy a visit aboard the Sea Devil, one of 16 fishing vessels to participate in this year’s Wedgeport Tuna Tournament and Festival.