A fisherman in Alaska recently caught a fish that experts believe is at least 200 years old.
The Daily Sitka Sentinel reports the fish, an almost 20-kilogram shortraker rockfish, was caught by Henry Liebman of Seattle while deep-sea fishing off the coast of Alaska. Liebman hooked the ancient fish from a depth of approximately 300 metres.
“I knew it was abnormally big (but I) didn’t know it was a record until on the way back we looked in the Alaska guide book that was on the boat,” Liebman told the paper.
Shortrakers, which have hues of orange, pink or red on top of their white bodies, are one of the most commonly sought fish in Alaska and can live at depths of more than 800 metres.
Troy Tidingco, Sitka area manager for the state Department of Fish and Game, said the fish is still being analyzed but he believes it is at least 200 years old.
Tidingco said that would beat the current record of 175 years.
Researchers are able to determine the age of a shortraker by the number of growth rings along its ear bone.
More details and image at: http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/17868266/man-catches-200-year-old-fish/
