A tragic fish tale: The case of the missing Miller’s marlin

If you want to kick a man when he’s down, wait for a hurricane to hit, then take his giant fish.

This actually happened, but not to a man as much as to a marina. Boca Grande Marina, to be specific.

They had a 16-foot, marlin on the side of the building for years. The Davies family donated it to the marina as a token of appreciation of kindness and assistance given by the staff. 

The Atlantic blue marlin weighed 1,289 pound when it was alive. He was caught by someone on Seafari  – the Davies family boat – off the coast of Bermuda on May 30, 2012. It was the largest marlin landed in the world that year. It was the fourth largest Atlantic blue marlin ever landed and weighed. 

When the hurricane was coming, marina staff took the marlin down and stored him inside. At the end of October they took him out and placed him on the dock, in preparation to put him back in his rightful spot. On October 31 he was reported missing to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. 

Whether some pirate took him by land or by boat, it was a brutal thing to do in a time of sadness and devastation. He deserves to be back where he belongs. 

The sheriff’s office does have some leads, but if anyone knows anyone who popped up with a giant marlin on their wall lately, call Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers at (800) 780-TIPS.