After catching 883-pound marlin, crew disqualified over out-of-date license

updated 9:45 a.m. CT, Thurs., June 24, 2010

After a two-hour struggle with the gigantic fish off North Carolina's Outer Banks, Alexandria resident Peter Wann pulled with all his strength and the creature emerged from the ocean depths.

He and his four sport fishing teammates could finally see what they had been struggling against an 883-pound blue marlin spanning 137 inches.

"My eyes were wide," Wann said "Once it got up, everybody started freaking out, saying, 'Holy smokes!' Everybody was so excited."

But as the exhausted and elated teammates steamed back to shore certain that their catch would win the grand prize of nearly $1 million in the annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament they began checking to make sure the paperwork was in order. Wann's heart sank when he read the rule book. He thought the entire boat was licensed to compete. Turns out, all individuals had to have a valid state fishing license. Even Wann, the hired first mate.

His mind raced. He had a license at one time, hadn't he? Heart in his throat, he logged onto the state's Web site as soon as the boat was in wireless range.

Then big, bad news: His license had longexpired.

Eight days, two lie detector tests, and hours of scrutiny and agonizing deliberation later, tournament officials made their decision. They would not be awarding the prize to Wann and his teammates from the boat Citation.

It was clear that they probably would win, said Richard Crowe. The fish was 50 pounds heavier than any other first-prize winner in the tournament's 52-year-history. The closest runner-up this year was a 528-pounder.

As the Saturday awards banquet neared, tournament officials began administering lie detector tests to its top money winners. They say they typically give such tests to verify whether the contestants obeyed fishing times, locations and other regulations. The results for Holmes and Wann raised concern, Crowe said. Tournament officials began an inquiry.

Crowe said that the board is "very confident" in its decision to disqualify the Citation's big fish, citing a "substantial violation in tournament rules." The top prize money went instead to the Carnivore for its 528-pound catch; they otherwise would have won $217,000.

"For the integrity of the Tournament, Big Rock has no choice but to enforce the rules and disqualify the fish," the tournament board said in a statement when it announced its decision.

"Rules are the rules, and you can't break 'em a little bit," Crowe said.

Wann calls what happened an "immature mistake." He said he and Holmes should have acknowledged their concern to contest officials straight away. But he also said the owners and the captain who were paying him $500 a week before taxes never told him that he needed a valid fishing license to be part of the team.