As the crew of the Stella June dug into plates of Asian fusion at the Chubby Noodle on sleepy Paseo del la Marina, captain Evan Salvay ran fingers through hair shaped by a day’s worth of salt water, wind, broiling sun and spiking anxiety.
The 27-year-old had ridden both sides of the exhilarating and sometimes cruel waves at the Bisbee’s Black and Blue marlin tournament, the richest sportfishing chase on the planet. A year ago, a fish the part-time Point Loma and Huntington Beach resident landed translated to just over $3 million. Two years ago, a potential $1 million catch was edged by 14 pounds as the paycheck plummeted … to $7,020.
In this year’s tournament, the Stella June caught a 466-pound black marlin that held up as the day’s best for hours on end. Two and a half blocks away, the only remaining fish to weigh was nearing the dock. The estimated payout for the day’s biggest catch ebbed around $1.23 million.
The glazed ribs? The salt and pepper shrimp? The thought of food nauseated Salvay.
“I can’t eat, dude,” he said.