An ice fisherman from Quebec spent two and a half hours battling a massive 244-pound halibut in the Saguenay Fjord last Saturday. This catch made history as the largest Atlantic halibut ever documented in the region. According to Marc-André Galbrand, president of the basin committee known as Comité de bassin de la Baie des Ha! Ha! (CBBH), fishing for this species is a challenging endeavor that requires great patience and physical endurance.
The halibut, measuring two meters in length, exceeded the previous record set the year before. Alain Hamel, the lucky fisherman who reeled in this giant from the L’Anse-Saint-Jean sector of the fjord, participated in the ice fishing as part of a scientific project aimed at studying more about the species.
Although fishing for Atlantic halibut is prohibited in the Saguenay Fjord, participants in the project catch, tag, and bring the fish to the local museum for analysis. The bones in the fish’s head provide valuable insights into migration patterns. The halibut caught this season will be shared among fishermen for consumption.
Jérôme Rousseau, another participant in the scientific fishing program, also made a significant catch of an Atlantic halibut off the coast of Sainte-Rose-du-Nord, marking a personal achievement after years of dedication to the project.
The captured halibut was taken to the Fjord Museum for further examination, with its head and stomach removed for analysis. The activity of fishing for these halibuts is considered an extreme sport due to the challenges posed by the fish’s strength and the depth of the water where they are found.
After the record-breaking catch, the scientific fishing of Atlantic Halibut was paused to avoid exceeding the quota set for the season. Out of the allocated 35 halibut, 27 have already been caught, with plans to distribute the remaining fish through a lottery system to a select group of fishermen.