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A shark took a bite out of a marlin during a huge fishing competition on Sunday, resulting in a shocking disqualification. During the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in North Carolina, a team had caught a marlin that weighed in at a whopping 619.4 pounds. If the catch counted, the team would’ve won over $3 million in prize money.
But the team, Sensation, did not walk away with the prize money due to a stipulation in the rules.
“It was determined that Sensation’s 619.4 lb. Blue Marlin is disqualified due to mutilation caused by a shark or other marine animal,” tournament officials wrote in a statement Sunday. “It was deemed that the fish was mutilated before it was landed or boated and therefore it was disqualified.”
Tournament officials arrived at that conclusion after consulting with several experts. Sensation captain Greg McCoy told the Washington Post how upsetting the decision was after battling for hours to reel in the massive marlin.
“It’s the final hour, the final day and we fought with him for six hours,” McCoy said. “It’s a tough pill to swallow.”
Sensation’s crew would’ve earned $2.77 million for taking first place and another $739,500 for catching the first fish of the year that weighed over 500 pounds. The tournament chose to disqualify Sensation due to past rulings and the International Game Fish Association rulebook. 
In total, 271 different boats competed in the 2023 Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. A crew named Sushi won the tournament after reeling in a 484.5-pound blue marlin, according to tournament officials.
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