A 12-year-old boy from Weston, Massachusetts, reeled in a massive white marlin off the coast of Nantucket on Aug. 16.
Stone Fornes caught the 118.2-pound fish, potentially breaking a junior world record, while fishing with angler Elliot Sudal.
The current record for a white marlin is 102 pounds, which was caught off Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, in 2011, according to the International Game Fish Association.
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Fornes told Fox News Digital that it was a tough 90-minute battle reeling in the fish.
“This marlin was an acrobat,” he said.
Elliot Sudal, who has been a captain on Nantucket for 12 years, works with various shark research organizations.
“It’s wildly impressive that Stone was able to catch this fish … from spotting it to getting it to eat a bait, let alone fighting it for an hour and a half,” Sudal told Fox News Digital.
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“It was an epic battle, with the marlin jumping completely out of the water several times, and super technical keeping the boat positioned correctly.”
Sudal said he is grateful to the fishing community for coming together to transport the fish and assist with the necessary paperwork associated with the world record.
“I feel like most 12-year-olds are playing on iPads, while [Stone’s] off catching world records,” Sudal said. “He got some serious street cred on the docks for this one.”
Fornes said he typically releases most of what he catches, but this fish was cooked with the help of local restaurant CRU Oyster Bar Nantucket.
“It’s wildly impressive that Stone was able to catch this fish … it was an epic battle.”
“Unfortunately, in order to confirm a world record, you need to keep the fish,” he told Fox News Digital.
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“We spent a few days getting all the measurements and a scientific review before sharing it with a bunch of people and eating it. It was the best meal of my life.”
CRU chef Eric Korsh cooked the massive fish for Fornes and his friends (see recipe below).
The angler’s parents, Don and Lauren Fornes, told Fox News Digital that fishing is more than just a hobby for their son.
“He’s poured everything into this passion,” Don Fornes said. “And he’s learned that some days, you come up short, but if you stay after it, you can eventually win big.”
Lauren Fornes pointed out that the entire Nantucket team worked to get a certified scale, keep ice on the fish and find a scientist to confirm the species.
“He’s learned that some days, you come up short, but if you stay after it, you can eventually win big.”
“I had no idea that logging a world record would be such a complex and expansive process,” she said. “Stone has grown in ways he never imagined through this experience.”
Fornes enjoys reading fishing reports and making friends with more experienced fishermen, he said.
“Stone’s not just about the catch; he’s deeply concerned about the future of our fisheries,” Don Fornes noted.
“When he does keep a fish, he’s passionate about sharing the meat with the wide range of people he’s befriended in the Nantucket community.”
The boy’s father added, “Lauren and I think about how this experience might transfer to other life pursuits when he grows up, but we know this kid is going to chart his own course. He may be an old man on the sea.”
An International Game Fish Association representative told Fox News Digital that the record confirmation process typically takes between four and six weeks.
“Once received, the application will be pending and will enter the official review process,” the representative said. “Once it has been reviewed, a decision will be made on the approval of the record.”
Marlin recipe from CRU Oyster Bar on Nantucket (serves 4)
Ingredients
Marlin
- Four 5-ounce Marlin steaks
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
Salad
- One 10-ounce can of halved artichokes
- 4-oz. Kalamata olives
- One bunch of parsley, chopped
- Two lemons, juiced
- 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon of capers
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
Persillade Stuffed Tomato
- Four medium-ripe tomatoes with tops cut off and seeds scooped out
- 2 cups of dry Panko bread crumbs
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 2 tablespoons of grated pecorino
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
Directions
1. Gently toss all salad ingredients.
2. Blend all tomato ingredients, leaving the tomatoes aside, in a food processor until fine to create parsley bread crumbs.
3. Fill the tomatoes with the parsley bread crumbs and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, until the breadcrumb is golden.
4. Lightly coat marlin in olive oil, salt and pepper.
5. Cook over medium heat for four minutes on each side, using a heavy-bottom cast iron pan.
6. Assemble, serve and enjoy immediately.
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