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From 1935 to the mid-1960s, Wedgeport was the Sport Tuna Fishing capital of the world. What attracted the bluefin tuna close to the shores of Wedgeport was the abundance of baitfish, making the Tusket River and the Tuna Rip excellent tuna fishing grounds. Attempts to land bluefin tuna with rod and reel started in the early 1930s, but no successful landings were recorded.
Rod and reel tuna fishing officially began in 1935 when Michael Lerner, accompanied by his guide Tommy Gifford, were told there were plenty of tuna off Wedgeport. Stanley LeBlanc of Wedgeport had been trying to promote tourism and tuna fishing when big game angler Michael Lerner and his guide Tommy Gifford showed up in 1935. There are varying accounts as to what happened next, but all agree Lerner and Gifford landed Bluefin tuna and told the world about it.
Two years later, in 1937, Wedgeport saw the birth of the International Tuna Cup Match organized by S. Kip Farrington, Jr. 28 different countries participated in the International Tuna Cup Match. The international tournament drew anglers, writers, and photographers from all over the world. It was perhaps Nova Scotia’s biggest tourist attraction. Charter boats were busy from late June to October chasing bluefins.
Hundreds of bluefins were caught each year off the coast of Wedgeport, but in 1949, seventy-two tuna were caught during the International Tuna Cup Match making a total weight of 30,161 pounds. That was the most tuna as well as the highest weight ever caught in a match to date.
During the International Tuna cup matches the winning team would be awarded the Alton B. Sharp Cup, the 5th oldest cup in international sports. The tournament stopped being held in South West Nova Scotia in 1976 due to lack of fish.
In 2004, twenty-eight years after the tuna tournament was cancelled, there was a revival. A small group of Wedgeport citizens integrated the tuna tournament with the Yarmouth Shark Scramble. Sadly, no fish was caught that year. Wedgeport did not give up and the following year, two bluefins were landed. In 2008, sixteen bluefin tuna were landed. This was amazing for the Wedgeport Tuna Tournament & Festival because even in the prime years of fishing there were only four International Tuna Cup Matches that surpassed the 2008 catch. Wedgeport has succeeded in reestablishing itself in the tuna sport fishing world.
The Wedgeport Tuna Tournament & Festival has been a success since its revival, becoming an
