“Catching” Liars at the World’s Largest Billfish Tournament

Fishermen can win a big cash prize…after passing a lie detector.

By Joshlin Sheridan, Marketing —

Fish Tales

Each year in Ocean City, Maryland, many eager fishermen flock to the White Marlin Open: The world’s largest billfish tournament. The stakes are high in this competition. Last year’s winning reward was $1.65 million. However, if anyone is to win more than $50,000, they must take a lie detector test before collecting money! Polygraph tests have been implemented in the White Marlin Open since the early 2000s because competition is so fierce. The officials want to ensure that no anglers cheat…or tell untrue fish tales about their catches. Cheating over the years has been abundant: rigging illegal lures, stuffing fish with ice, “catching” pre-purchased commercial fish, or dropping lines before the official start time.

Controversy over the Competition

In the past several years, discussion over the use of a polygraph test with this tournament has been quite heated. The 2017 winner, Glen Frost, caught a 95.5-pound white marlin. His first test was inconclusive though, so he had to take the polygraph test a second time, which he passed. The 2016 top angler, Phil Heasley, was expecting a payout of $2.8 million, but officials suspected cheating. Heasley took the case to federal court, and the judge ruled against him. Heasley’s earnings were distributed to the other top winners from the 2016 tournament.

While it’s important to ensure honesty during the fierce competition, some believe that subjecting anglers to the polygraph test is unfair and that their results could be influenced by the methods of the polygraph examiner. Is there a better way to distinguish the true sportsmen from the cheaters?

An Alternate Solution

EyeDetect® is a next-generation lie detector. As opposed to a polygraph exam, where examinees are hooked up to a machine facilitated by an examiner, EyeDetect is completely computer-based. This eliminates human bias. EyeDetect recognizes deception by measuring subtle changes in the eye while examinees take the test. This technology is scientifically validated and highly accurate.
If the White Marlin Open used EyeDetect after their competitions, this would save money, time, and eliminate examiner bias.

Learn more about EyeDetect here

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Photo by / Mathieu Le Roux