On June 26, 2015, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s (DNREC’s) Division of Fish & Wildlife confirmed a new state record in the Delaware Sport Fishing Tournament: a 19.7-pound blueline tilefish caught on June 19 in the Atlantic Ocean’s Baltimore Canyon, some 65 miles offshore.
William Fintel of Lewes caught the 33-inch-long blueline tilefish aboard the charter boat Snow Goose with Captain Ed Sigda at the helm. The record catch was initially confirmed at Lewes Harbour Marina and then verified by Officer Adam Roark, Delaware Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police. The catch is recognized as a state record since the fish was caught aboard a boat that left from and returned to a Delaware port.
Relatively new to the tournament, blueline tilefish are becoming quite popular among salt water anglers. “Other blueline tilefish have been submitted to the tournament,” said Garry Glanden, Delaware Sport Fishing Tournament director, Division of Fish & Wildlife. “However, this is the first one to be officially verified by DNREC personnel. So now anglers have something to aim for.”
Blueline tilefish are slow-growing, deep-water dwellers that are targeted by both recreational and commercial fisheries as a foodfish. The species may grow up to 35 inches long and live up to 43 years, feeding on bottom creatures such as crabs, shrimp, snails, worms, sea urchins and small fish and sharing habitat with groupers and snappers. Spawning occurs from May to October, with females laying more than 4 million free-floating eggs.
The increasing popularity and harvest of blueline tilefish have prompted federal and state agencies, including the Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife, to propose fishery conservation measures to manage the fishery at a sustainable level.
