A Quebec ice fisherman spent two and a half hours battling a massive 244-pound halibut in the Saguenay Fjord over the weekend, setting a new record for the largest Atlantic halibut ever caught in the area. Marc-André Galbrand, the president of the basin committee known as Comité de bassin de la Baie des Ha! Ha! (CBBH), described the fish as a challenging catch, requiring great patience and resulting in sore arms.
The halibut, measuring two meters in length, was caught by Alain Hamel in the L’Anse-Saint-Jean sector of the fjord, surpassing the previous record set at 194 pounds. This fishing activity was part of a scientific project in collaboration with the local Fjord Museum aimed at studying the species. While fishing Atlantic halibut is prohibited in the Saguenay Fjord, participants in the project catch, tag, and bring the fish to the museum for analysis.
After being officially weighed on Monday, the halibut’s meat will be distributed among fishermen, with an estimated 170 pounds of delicious fish expected from this week’s catch. Jérôme Rousseau also made a significant catch of an Atlantic halibut off the coast of Sainte-Rose-du-Nord on the Saguenay River this season, marking a personal achievement after years of participation in the scientific fishing program.
Following the catch, the halibut was taken to the Fjord Museum for further examination. Galbrand emphasized the challenge of fishing at depths of 120 to 180 meters, highlighting the need for caution due to the fish’s sharp teeth. The fishing activity was temporarily halted to avoid exceeding the quota, with 27 out of the 35 authorized halibut already caught. Plans are being considered to allow a small number of selected fishers to catch the remaining halibut through a lottery system.