A spearfisherman has caught a giant cubera snapper that has the potential to break an international spearfish record. The fish was caught by Braden Sherron, who was spearfishing while freediving.
Spearfishing is a form of fishing that has been popular for many centuries. Even early civilizations are familiar with this type of catching fish out of rivers and streams using only sharpened sticks.
A red snapper is shown at the Fulton Fish Market June 25, 2003 in New York City.
Catching the Big Fish
Port Aransas Fisherman's Wharf recently posted on their Facebook page some photos of Sherron and the monster cubera snapper he caught earlier this month off the coast of Texas with a caption: "Shout out to Braden Sherron with this pending Texas and world record-breaking cubera snapper. We are so thankful he chose Port Aransas Fisherman's Wharf to weigh and take pictures of this monster of a cubera snapper!"
In an email to Fox News Digital, Sherron told the news outlet that he caught the 137-pound cubera snapper on June 3 while he and his brother went spearfishing in the Gulf of Mexico aboard their 25-foot panga boat.
Sherron was a fan of spearfishing and had his speargun ready as he entered the water. He said that he speared the snapper and it took him an hour to land. He also clarified that he was not out hunting for a record-breaking fish and just so happened that he caught the giant snapper.
The photos on Facebook show the cubera snapper appeared to be as wide as Sherron's shoulders and was about three-quarters his height. He said that he only realized its size when he could barely lift it to transfer it to their boat.
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Breaking World Record
Fish records in Texas are not that simple because they could be split into different categories based on how they were caught and whether they are saltwater or freshwater fish. Per Texas Parks and Wildlife, the heaviest cubera snapper was captured in 1983, measuring 131 pounds. Also, they said that the heaviest saltwater cubera snapper was a 151-pound fish caught in 1984.
On the other hand, the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) stated that the heaviest Atlantic cubera snapper was a 124-pound fish caught in Louisiana in 2007. If this is used as a basis, then the current cubera snapper Sherron caught is record-breaking, according to Newsweek.
The news outlet tried contacting IGFA to learn why there was a discrepancy in figures. For now, Sherron's monster snapper catch is still pending and cannot be officially declared as the new world record holder.
Cubera snappers, also known as Cuban snapper, lives in The Western Atlantic Ocean from Nova Scotia to Brazil and are rarely seen in Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also said that cubera snappers typically grow up to 40 pounds, making Sherron's catch extraordinary.
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