At the 22nd annual Wedgeport Tuna Tournament and Festival, 13-year-old Délynn Jacquard landed a massive 711-pound tuna . The Nova Scotia native achieved this feat while aboard the Pelagic Predator off the province's west coast.
Wedgeport’s legacy as the world's tuna capital
The 22nd annual Wedgeport Tuna Tournament and Festival serves as a modern continuation of a storied maritime tradition in Nova Scotia. Between the 1930s and 1960s, Wedgeport earned a global reputation as the sport tuna fishing capital of the world, frequently hosting anglers from across the globe for the International Tuna Cup Match.. This historical prestige continues to drive the local economy and community identity, as the thousands of pounds of tuna landed during the current tournament remain within the region's regulated commercial quota.
The tournament's enduring popularity reflects the deep-seated connection between the Nova Scotian coast and the Atlantic's bounty. For the residents of Wedgeport, these annual competitions are as much about preserving community history as they are about the thirll of the catch.
Surpassing Jenna Gavin’s 12-year-old milestone
Délynn Jacquard’s performance aboard the Pelagic Predator has effectively rewritten the local record books for junior anglers. The 711-pound tuna she reeled in significantly eclipses the previous 618-pound record held by fellow Nova Scotian Jenna Gavin,a milestone that had stood for 12 years . The report states that this achievement is particularly notable given that Jacquard is a relative newcomer to the world of big-game fishing.
Jacquard was accompnied by her father, Camille Jacquard, who captains the Pelagic Predator and has been a veteran participant in the Wedgeport tournament for approximately 20 years. The transition from a newcomer to a record-breaker in a single outing is a rare feat in such a demanding sport.
The six-month wait for IGFA ratification
While the feat is being celebrated locally,the official status of the catch remains unverified by international bodies. According to tournament board member Brandon Doucette,it may take up to six months for the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) to formally ratify the catch as a new female junior world record.. There is also a technical nuance regarding the weight: the 711-pound figure represents the fish fresh out of the water, whereas the tournament records the weight at 635 pounds after it has been partially gutted.
Because the IGFA typically requires weight measurements taken before gutting,the final official number remains a point of pending verification. Notably, the current reporting relies on tournament officials, leaving the perspective of the IGFA itself unrepresented in this initial update.
An 801-pound bluefin sets the tournament high
Despite the historic nature of Jacquard's catch, it did not represent the largest fish landed during this year's festivities. As reported by the tournament organizers, Captain Brent Pothier secured the heaviest tuna in the history of the Wedgeport tournament. Pothier’s catch was a massive 801-pound bluefin, a feat that underscores the immense scale of the trophy fish found off the west coast of Nova Scotia.
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