In the waters near the west coast of Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada, 13-year-old girl Délynn Jacquard broke the world record for teenage girls at the 22nd Wedgeport Tuna Tournament and Carnival event.
Last Wednesday, Jacquard reeled in a 711-pound bluefin tuna aboard the “Pelagic Predator.” If officially confirmed, she will set a new world record for teenage girls by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA).
The previous world record for teenage girls was a 618-pound bluefin tuna caught by Jenna Gavin from Nova Scotia in Ballantynes Cove 12 years ago. This means Jacquard raised the bar by nearly 100 pounds.
According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Jacquard said in an interview that she thought she might not be able to pull the fish up at the time. “But I did it in the end, and I’m really proud of myself.”
Jacquard mentioned that it took her over an hour to reel in the bluefin tuna. “It was very strenuous. You have to grip the rod tightly and sit steadily in the chair,” she said.
Jacquard’s father, Camille Jacquard, is the captain of the “Pelagic Predator” and has been participating in the tournament for about 20 years. Délynn Jacquard, on the other hand, was a first-time participant in the event.
Brandon Doucette, a director of the tournament committee, stated that it may take six months for the record to be officially confirmed.
Doucette explained that IGFA records are based on the raw weight of the fish before gutting, while the Wedgeport Tournament calculates the weight after partially removing the internal organs. The bluefin tuna caught by Jacquard weighed 711 pounds when it first came out of the water, and 635 pounds after gutting.
Doucette mentioned that 2026 would be a “record-breaking year,” as another boat caught the heaviest bluefin tuna in the tournament’s history. Captain Brent Pothier of the “Lucas & Noah” boat reeled in an 801-pound bluefin tuna.
This bluefin tuna surpassed the 800-pound mark for the first time in the 22-year history of the tournament, breaking the record set in 2014 at 796 pounds.
Doucette stated that the annual tuna tournament is not only about breaking records but also carries the historical and cultural significance of the community. Between the 1930s and 1960s, Wedgeport hosted the International Tuna Cup Challenge, attracting fishing enthusiasts from around the world and earning the reputation of being the “world capital of competitive tuna fishing.”
He mentioned that the thousands of pounds of bluefin tuna caught during the event fall within the region’s commercial quotas. These fish either end up in restaurants or become delicacies on people’s dinner tables.