SAN DIEGO (AP) - A hotel doorman has caught what is believed to be the largest ever fish to be speared off the San Diego coast.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports (https://bit.ly/1g8PbYe ) that 33-year-old Joel Smith speared a 413-pound, 12-foot blue Marlin Sept. 2. He had kept his giant prize quiet because he feared negative reactions.
The doorman at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel was diving under a kelp paddy about 25 miles west of San Diego when he speared the fish.
Smith had the fish processed and received his batch of 150 pounds of smoked blue marlin on Monday.
The San Diego Freedivers Club lists spearfishing records for members that includes a 343-pound black marlin, but that fish was likely caught in Mexico or international waters.
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Information from: The San Diego Union-Tribune, https://www.utsandiego.com
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