Rare White Blue Marlin Caught and Released Near Costa Rica
OutdoorHub Reporters 03.13.14
It was supposed to be a warm-up day for the Los Suenos Triple Crown Tournament, but the crew and anglers aboard the Spanish Fly encountered what can be described as a nautical myth. More than 20 miles off the coast of Los Suenos, Costa Rica, anglers Bob and Karen Weaver were shocked when they discovered a white blue marlin on the line. The fish, which was caught and released on Tuesday, is now being called the “unicorn of the sea.”
The Spanish Fly is a 43-foot charter boat operated by Maverick Sportfishing and usually captained by Daniel Espinoza Jiminez. For Tuesday, however, Captain Juan Carlos Fallas Zamora was in charge after Jiminez took the day off. Maverick Sportfishing’s owner Glen Mumford said that when they saw the marlin on the line, everybody on board the ship was in awe.
“They all touched it,” Mumford told OutdoorHub. “They got it up to the side of the boat and touched it. They said it was pretty freaky. Definitely a wild day.”
The estimated 300-pound fish was caught by Karen Weaver, a veteran saltwater angler. Mumford said that details regarding the catch are still slim, due to the fact that everyone is still participating in the tournament and he did not have a chance to talk to Weaver. In light of the catch, though, it may be safe to say that the white marlin—and not the tournament—will be the talk of Los Suenos this week.
The white blue marlin has made a large splash in the fishing world, but since the fish was released, very little is known about it. The initial belief was that the marlin was albino, but according to Marlin Magazine, experts from the International Game Fish Association say that the fish can be leucistic, which is caused by a reduction in all types of skin pigment rather than just melanin.
“The press has gone wild with this while we’re still trying to clarify if it is an albino, but we’re not there yet,” said Mumford. “The crew and anglers said it had some pink in its eye.”
Mumford said that experts from the Billfish Foundation have also taken note. The only thing all parties seem certain of is that the fish was a blue marlin—despite, of course, its lack of blue color. Among the experts, the consensus is rising that whether it is albino or otherwise, this is the first time anyone has seen a white blue marlin. As rare fish go, it is hard to beat a one-of-a-kind.
OutdoorHub will be updating this story as more details are uncovered.
