A Marshfield, Massachusettes, boy is celebrating after he caught a fish that weighed more than 630 pounds. On Thursday morning, 14-year-old Anthony Tavares fulfilled a dream he was chasing since he was a toddler when he reeled in his big catch.
"I’ve always loved tuna fishing. I always wanted to catch one. I love watching on TV like 'Wicked Tuna'," Anthony said.
His big moment finally came near Green Harbor Marina when a massive bluefin tuna fish took his bait.
"We caught a bunch of squids. So we threw a squid out, it was in the water for about 10 minutes and then the rod just bent over and we started screaming," Anthony said. "It was really cool."
It took him an hour and a half to reel in the 630-pound fish -- and he has the battle scars to prove it.
"I have some bruises and some cuts all over my hands from grabbing the line and reeling on it," Anthony said.
After the tuna was gutted, it weighed 586 pounds. A tuna that size sells on the market between $6 and $12 dollars a pound, but since Anthony was just shadowing along on a charter boat, he won't get the earnings.
His father, who also happens to be Marshfield's chief of police, said it was never about the money.
"His desire and determination to catch one. I mean every single day he’s up super early in the morning," Anthony's father said. "[He] set an alarm for 2:30 in the morning, 3 o'clock in the morning to fish, to try to get a tuna fish and after five years he finally got one."
Anthony agrees. The lesson he learned throughout the catch goes well beyond the dollar signs.
"Dreams can come true," he said.
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