The International Underwater Spearfishing Association

International Underwater Spearfishing Association

World Record

4.9 kg. , 10.7 lbs.

Salmon, Chum Oncorhynchus keta

Record Category: Women Speargun

Diver:		Katya Karankevich
Date:		8/24/2026
Location:		UNITED STATES

Only some of my friends pee in their wetsuits, and the others are liars. Every day I wake up and cannot believe that my life has turned out like this. If you had told me when I was a kid that I’d get to travel the world and collect Pokémon in the form of big delicious fish, be surrounded by loving and patient people who enjoyed putting up with me, and been afforded the freedom to pursue a career/hobbies that are deeply satisfying, I would not have been able to imagine that for myself. That is the kind of life well-adjusted and successful people get to live. I don’t know what I did to get all of this opportunity for happiness, while others are borne into war or abject poverty through no fault of their own. I don’t deserve this life. Sometimes I feel guilty for living it when there is so much suffering elsewhere. This Chum was the culmination of year three of effort for this species. The first year I fished in this part of Alaska, I shot one chum on polespear and one on gun that was 10.1 and 10.2 lbs on an uncertified scale. I was stoked! After 24 hours on ice and flying these fish to a certified scale like a loon, they weighed 9.8 and 9.9 lbs. As we all know in this sport, that is a hair too light for the minimum saltwater weight rules. I didn’t let that disappointment sit long as I knew I could try again next year. The second year, all the chum were their standard size of nowhere near 10 lbs. There must have not been much to eat around for that run. This year the persistence paid off, and I landed this fish on a Redtide 140 cm band gun with a slip tip. And I certify that I DID NOT pee in my wetsuit even once.
Make Certificate