World records coordinator Rebecca Wright of the International Game Fish Association provides highlights of nine selected documented fish catches made across the globe including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the French island of Reunion and the United States, recently submitted for IGFA world records. All are now before the world records committee:

Australian angler Gary Richardson, fishing the waters off his hometown coastal city of Port Lincoln in the state of South Australia, landed a samsonfish (Seriola hippos) on June 3, weighing 24.88 kg (54 lb 13 oz) using 8 kg (16 lb) class line. His is the first application for the new men's line class for the species which was added to the IGFA World Records, April 1. 

 
Junior angler Christopher Hampl, of Cartago, Costa Rica, guided by Edgar Montero, landed a roosterfish (Nematistius pectoralis) on June 27, weighing 30.25 kg (66 lb 11 oz). Using live moonfish for bait he battled with the strong contender for 25 minutes while fishing near Playa Blanca, Costa Rica. The current IGFA boy's junior record is 64 lb 3 oz (29.12kg).

Daron S. Muratyan, Irvine, Calif., USA, guided by Tony Rackanckas, landed a Pacific barracuda (Sphyraena argentea) on July 19, weighing 3.46 kg (7 lb 10 oz) on 3 kg (6 lb) class line. Muratyan was using an anchovie for bait, while fishing the waters of Huntington Flats, California. The current IGFA men's line class record is presently vacant for the species added on April 1 for line, fly and junior class records.  

Angler Tom Pfleger of Newport Beach, Calif., USA, landed a white seabass (Atractoscion nobilis) on July 6, weighing 19.42 kg (42 lb 13 oz) on 2 kg (4 lb) class line while fishing La Salina, Mexico. He used squid for bait and battled the fish for 90 minutes. The current IGFA men's record for the species is 25 lb 14 oz (11.74 kg) caught from Huntington Beach, Calif., in the summer of 2003. 

Using a Spro ahi swimbait to attract her quarry, Ms. Sharon Friedrich, of Babenhausen, Germany, guided by Adrian Vega Fuentes, landed an Atlantic Spearfish, (Tetrapturus spp.) on July 12, weighing 38 kg (83 lb 12 oz) on 10 kg (20 lb) class line.  She was fishing the waters of Gran Canaria, Puerto Rico and took 17 minutes to fight the fish. The current IGFA women's line class record is 54 lb 0 oz ( 24.49 kg) caught in the summer of 2001 off La Gomera in Spain's Canary Islands.

Fishing Mexico's northern Baja coast off La Fonda on July 6, Susan Mercer of El Cajon, Calif., USA, guided by Kimber A. Reed, landed a white seabass, (Atractoscion nobilis).  She used live squid on 24 kg (50 lb) class line and took 15 minutes to land the fish that weighed in at 29.03 kg (64 lb 0 oz). The current IGFA women's line class record for the species is 59 lb 0 oz ( 26.76 kg) recorded three years ago at Puertecitos, Baja.

It was the scent of a dead sardine with a chunk of mackerel on 37 kg (80 lb) class line that helped Amy Sharma, Ocala, Fla., USA, attract a black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci) while fishing the Gulf of Mexico along the central Florida coastline July 25. Sharma of Ocala, Fla., guided by Capt. Anthony Manali,  took 25 minutes to land the fish that weighed 42.41 kg (93 lb 8 oz). The current IGFA women's line class record is 15 lb 4 oz (6.92 kg) caught off Miami, Fla. in 2007.

Junior angler Geoffrey W. Boynton of Long Beach, California, USA may be the first junior angler to record a Pacific barracuda (Sphyraena argentea) since the species was added to the IGFA World Record Game Fishes book this past Spring. Guided by Bryan M. Webb, Boynton landed the species which weighed 1.59 kg (3 lb 8 oz) using anchovy, while fishing Huntington Flats, Calif., on August 4.

New Zealand angler Eryn Jacobsen of Kaitana, guided by John Batterson, landed a blue Atlantic marlin (Makaira nigricans) on June 20, weighing 79.38 kg (175 lb 0 oz) using ballyhoo for bait on 3 kg (6 lb) class line. It took her 45 minutes to land, while fishing off Sao Vicente, Cape Verde. The current IGFA women's line class record is 112 lb 0 oz ( 50.8 kg) recorded 11 years ago in LaGuaira, Venezuela.