594-pound marlin caught at tournament held a surprise for Gulf Coast researchers

Miami Herald

18-06-2025

Tagging fish has led to countless revelations, and one of the strangest may involve a 22-inch yellowfin tuna tagged off Venice, Louisiana, in May.
It was recaptured just a few week later, 'but not in a way we imagined,' the Florida-based Billfish Foundation wrote in a June 10 news release.
The fish turned up 'inside the stomach' of a blue marlin caught during the Cajun Canyons Billfish Classic (May 27 through June 1), the foundation says.
The marlin weighed 594.6 pounds and was caught May 29 by the crew of the Nikki Bella out of Jacksonville, Florida, the tournament reports.
'This marks the first time TBF has documented a recapture of a tagged fish from inside another fish,' the foundation said.
'A fascinating, once-in-a-lifetime moment that highlights the value of every tag deployed and how much we can learn through our collective community – across science, sportfishing, and conservation.'
A photo shows the tuna was in ragged shape, apparently due to being partially digested.
It was retrieved from the marlin by a science team from the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, officials said. The lab reports its tag-recapture program aims to measure growth and movements of sports fish off the Gulf Coast.
'Moments like these remind us that every tag tells a story, and sometimes, those stories are more amazing than we could imagine,' the foundation said.
The Billfish Foundation is a nonprofit focused on 'conservation of billfish and associated highly migratory species.'
'TBF combines data collection, research, and advocacy into one collective voice on behalf of anglers, the fishing community, and billfish,' the foundation says.