major international competition.

Mr. Don Hunt, who caught the 1,195lb giant over the weekend, is convinced that he has won the annual July 4 Blue Marlin World Cup.

The result still has to be confirmed but cup officials in Florida had not reported a bigger fish caught anywhere else in the world by late Sunday.

The World Cup winner's prize is a cheque which is expected to be in the region of $60,000, consisting of $1,000 entry fees for each of the 79 competitors less expenses.

It took Mr. Hunt two and a half hours to land the 14-foot long monster marlin on the boat Challenger . It beat the previous Bermuda record by five pounds.

Challenger skipper Captain Alan Card said: "I have contacted Florida where the referees for the cup were based and they had not heard of a bigger fish. I am certain this has won.'' The nearest challengers were two fish in the 800lb bracket caught off Costa Rica and Madeira. Several fish were caught in Hawaiian waters but only weighed in between 400 and 500 pounds.