Atlantic Bluefin Tuna — 832.6 lb (2026)
Species: Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
Species reference image — not the record catch.
Drawn from a named source but not independently confirmed. Double-check before relying on it.
Re-audited during the Records hardening pass (2026-08-09), following the same method that upgraded the 2019/2020 swordfish and 2020 bluefin tuna classifications above: VMRC's live 'What's New' page confirms a January 13, 2026 entry titled 'New Virginia State record for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna' exists, but — unlike the 2019/2020/2021 Agency News archive pages — that entry links only to a PDF, and no equivalent yearly HTML archive page (e.g. a 'whatsnew2026.shtm') was found; that URL currently 404s. No directly accessible official HTML page independently states this record's facts. Left unverified rather than upgraded on search-engine synthesis alone, per this project's evidence bar — corroborated only via a real regional/trade fishing publication (Coastal Angler & The Angler Magazine) naming the certifying VSWFT tournament director on the record, which is stronger than an aggregator or forum source but still short of 'verified.'
"Unverified" means this project hasn't independently confirmed every fact below from a directly readable official source yet — not that the record is probably wrong. See each classification's own sources below for exactly what is and isn't confirmed.
Virginia Saltwater State Record
- Recognizing authority
- Virginia Marine Resources Commission
- Record program
- Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament
- Status
- Current
- Certification date
- 2026-01-10
- Predecessor record
- Atlantic Bluefin Tuna — 708 lb (2020) — do not treat as current; see its own page for its status.
Official source: Virginia Marine Resources Commission — Saltwater Gamefish State Records (current index) (confirms bluefin tuna's current record date of 01/13/2026)
Sources last checked 2026-08-09.
- Weight
- 832.6 lb
- Length
- 108 inches (length overall)
- Girth
- 78 inches
- Angler
- Mike Rogerson
- Catch date
- 2026-01-10
- Catch location
- Off the Eastern Shore of Virginia
A specific named place, as published by the source below — not a precise coordinate. - Vessel
- High Hopes, Captain David Wright
- Charter / operator
- Virginia Beach Fishing Center
- Method / tackle
- Trolled ballyhoo — PENN International VISW 2-Speed 80 Wide conventional reel, 100 lb Berkley ProSpec Chrome line
Hampton Roads connection
- Weighed or certified at a Hampton Roads location: Brought in and officially weighed at the Virginia Beach Fishing Center, certified by Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament Director Matt Hargis — even though the catch itself was made off the Eastern Shore, not Hampton Roads waters.
A real, useful contrast with its own predecessor record: the 2020 record's Hampton Roads connection was its catch location (near Rudee Inlet); this 2026 record's catch location (the Eastern Shore) has no Hampton Roads connection at all — its connection is instead where the fish was weighed and certified. Neither should be assumed to carry the other's kind of connection. The weigh-station itself, Virginia Beach Fishing Center, is also a charter operator seeded in this guide's own charter directory — linked via charterId, since that's the same real, named business, not a geographic guess.
This page cites an existing official authority's own determination — it is not itself a certifying body. Always confirm current status directly with the authority linked above before relying on it, since records can be broken or updated at any time. How record certification works →