David L. Esslinger’s record-breaking catch of an 884-pound Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Gulf was officially confirmed this week by Texas Parks and Wildlife.

PORT ARTHUR, Texas — Nearly a year after David L. Esslinger hauled an 884-pound Atlantic bluefin tuna out of the Gulf of Mexico, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officially confirmed the catch as a new state record, according to a March 31, 2026, news release.

Esslinger, of Houston, landed the fish on April 10, 2025, surpassing the previous state record of 876 pounds set by Troy Lancaster in 2021. The record was confirmed this week through the department’s Angler Recognition Program, which tracks fishing records set by anglers in Texas waters.

Esslinger was fishing with a group of friends, including Colby Denbow, of Port Arthur, when the fish struck, setting off a five-hour battle before the crew managed to bring the massive tuna alongside the boat.

“Let me take a second to break the day and events down. First off, for those who have never landed a fish the size of a car, this is a full meal deal. NO man or woman will ever do this without a team,” Esslinger wrote on Facebook in April 2025.

The group launched in the early morning hours and by 9 a.m. had spotted tuna schooling near the surface. When the right rigger on the boat came down hard with a bite, the fight was on.

“I had to come to 45 pounds of drag on the Tiagra to slow her down, which she responded with a race to the surface. Carson at the helm with Brad, TC, Jeff, and Colby keeping all communication from the cockpit to the helm in rapid working order, we got the fish up to the surface in a little over an hour,” Esslinger wrote.

Denbow was the first to see the fish’s full size as it came to the boat. “Carson holding the boat in position with the giant fish on the side, Colby secured the tail rope. With shaking body and inoperable hands I made my way to the side of the boat and screamed with utter shock, ‘what a giant bluefin!'” Esslinger wrote.

Atlantic bluefin tuna are among the most prized catches in sport fishing. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, the species is native to both the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea and has been recorded reaching weights of up to 1,500 pounds, with the average adult weighing between 496 and 551 pounds. The fish are capable of diving to depths of 3,301 feet and use a burst-swimming ability, driven by their white skeletal muscle, to capture prey such as sardines, herring, mackerel, eels, squid and crustaceans.

Bluefin tuna are also highly valued commercially, with meat that can sell for up to $40 per pound locally.