A catch so large that state creates new record category for species

A North Carolina angler’s catch of a type of grouper called a red hind has led to the creation of a state record category for the species.

Matthew Parr of Wilmington caught the 7-pound, 1.6-ounce red hind on Oct. 1 and the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries announced this week that it has certified the catch as a record.

“Previously, North Carolina did not list a state-record red hind but created the category after Parr applied for the state record,” the agency explained in a news release. “The Division of Marine Fisheries creates new state record categories for fish that are exceptionally large for North Carolina.”

Matthew Parr with his record red hine. Photo: N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries

Catches of giant red hind are rare. The International Game Fish Assn. lists two 9-pounders, caught off Florida and Georgia, as a tie for the world record.

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Red hind are native to the Western Atlantic and range from the eastern U.S. to Brazil. They represent an important commercial fishery in the Caribbean.

The fish are reef dwellers and feed mainly on crabs and other crustaceans, and small fishes.

Parr caught his 21.5-inch red hind on cut bait while fishing with Capt. Charles Stewart Merritt of Salt Air Ventures off Cape Lookout.