Swordfish — 466 lb (2019)
Species: Swordfish
Species reference image — not the record catch.
Confirmed against an official or primary source as of the date shown.
Upgraded from unverified during the Records hardening pass (2026-08-09): VMRC's own 2019 'Agency News' archive page — a directly accessible official HTML page, not a PDF — independently states this record's weight, angler, hometown, and date in ordinary prose, plus names its own predecessor. The vbsf.net report (originally the only source) is kept as further corroboration.
Former Virginia Saltwater State Record
- Recognizing authority
- Virginia Marine Resources Commission
- Record program
- Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament
- Status
- Superseded
- Certification date
- 2019-08-16
- Successor record
- Swordfish — 597 lb (2020) — this classification is no longer current.
Official source: Virginia Marine Resources Commission — Agency News archive, 2019 (August 29, 2019 entry) (official VMRC HTML page directly stating: a 466-pound swordfish caught August 16, 2019 by Tony Gower Jr. of Virginia Beach was certified as Virginia's new state record, surpassing the previous 446-pound record set in 2012 by Joseph T. Harris, also of Virginia Beach)
Sources last checked 2026-08-09.
- Weight
- 466 lb
- Angler
- Tony Gower Jr.
- Catch date
- 2019-08-16
- Catch location
- Not stated by the available source.
Catch location wasn't stated by the available source.
Hampton Roads connection
- Angler is a Hampton Roads resident: Angler resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Superseded by the 2020 record (597 lb). Catch location wasn't stated by any source found. VMRC's own 2019 Agency News entry also names this record's own predecessor — a 446 lb swordfish caught in 2012 by Joseph T. Harris, also of Virginia Beach — which isn't seeded as its own record here (out of scope for this hardening pass, which audits existing classifications rather than adding new ones) but is documented here as a known further link in the chain for a future research pass. VMRC's saltwater-records index separately lists a swordfish entry dated 09/01/2012, consistent with that predecessor.
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 →