200 Year Old Fish Caught

[Palehorse]

. . . In Alaska





. . .The Daily Sitka Sentinel reported that Henry Liebman of Seattle was deep-sea fishing off the coast of Alaska on June 21 when he hooked the record-setting shortraker fish from a depth of approximately 900 feet.

"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. . . .

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1692883-alaskan-fisherman-catches-200-year-old-fish?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial&hpt=hp_t3

[Sandy Eggo]

Shame it had to die...

[Locutus]

I saw that on Yahoo news and he wasn't getting very much positive feedback from the reader comments for killing that 200 year old fish.

[Palehorse]

So that fish was around while the war of 1812 waged on! 

My thoughts on killing it:

I am sure that everything save the skin and skull will be donated to science for study, so it isn't a total loss. That fish apparently had 2 centuries within which to propagate its DNA amongst the seas, so I don't think that its contributions to the evolutionary chain have been lost by any means.

While I do not typically endorse killing of wildlife in any form for sport, I do like animals and aquatic life. I think they are quite tasty! 

[Palehorse]

Oh, and just in case anybody has a desire to pick apart my statement surrounding that fish being alive during the war of 1812, (IF scientists are correct on its age):

. . .April 8 – Colonel James Ball arrives at Fort Meigs with 200 dragoons.
April 27 – War of 1812 – Battle of York: United States troops raid, destroy, but do not hold the capital of Upper Canada, York (present day Toronto, Ontario).
May 1–May 9 – War of 1812 – First siege of Fort Meigs by British allied forces under General Henry Proctor and Chief Tecumseh.
May 2 – Battle of Lützen: Napoleon wins against the German alliance.
May 11 – Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William Wentworth leave on an expedition to cross the Blue Mountains (Australia).
May 20–May 21 – Battle of Bautzen: Napoleon again defeats his combined enemies.
May 27 – War of 1812: In Canada, American forces capture Fort George.
June 6
War of 1812 – Battle of Stoney Creek: A British force of 700 under John Vincent defeat an American force three times its size under William Winder and John Chandler.
Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William Wentworth succeed in crossing the Blue Mountains and return home.
June 21 – Peninsular War – Battle of Vitoria: A British, Spanish, and Portuguese force of 78,000 with 96 guns under Wellington defeats a French force of 58,000 with 153 guns under Joseph Bonaparte.
. . .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1813

[Sandy Eggo]

So that fish was around while the war of 1812 waged on! 

My thoughts on killing it:

I am sure that everything save the skin and skull will be donated to science for study, so it isn't a total loss. That fish apparently had 2 centuries within which to propagate its DNA amongst the seas, so I don't think that its contributions to the evolutionary chain have been lost by any means.

While I do not typically endorse killing of wildlife in any form for sport, I do like animals and aquatic life. I think they are quite tasty! 

Good thoughts! My first reaction was sadness that his "run" is over. I'm hoping that he's less ugly to the ladies of his species than he is to us.

It just makes me sad when old things are discovered for the first time by humans. We have a way of taking them to hell in a hand basket.

[Locutus]

Yep!  The war started in 1812 but carried on until 1815 if I recall correctly.

Oh, and just in case anybody has a desire to pick apart my statement surrounding that fish being alive during the war of 1812, (IF scientists are correct on its age):

. . .April 8 – Colonel James Ball arrives at Fort Meigs with 200 dragoons.
April 27 – War of 1812 – Battle of York: United States troops raid, destroy, but do not hold the capital of Upper Canada, York (present day Toronto, Ontario).
May 1–May 9 – War of 1812 – First siege of Fort Meigs by British allied forces under General Henry Proctor and Chief Tecumseh.
May 2 – Battle of Lützen: Napoleon wins against the German alliance.
May 11 – Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William Wentworth leave on an expedition to cross the Blue Mountains (Australia).
May 20–May 21 – Battle of Bautzen: Napoleon again defeats his combined enemies.
May 27 – War of 1812: In Canada, American forces capture Fort George.
June 6
War of 1812 – Battle of Stoney Creek: A British force of 700 under John Vincent defeat an American force three times its size under William Winder and John Chandler.
Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William Wentworth succeed in crossing the Blue Mountains and return home.
June 21 – Peninsular War – Battle of Vitoria: A British, Spanish, and Portuguese force of 78,000 with 96 guns under Wellington defeats a French force of 58,000 with 153 guns under Joseph Bonaparte.
. . .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1813

[Locutus]

As an aside, I wonder of you can eat that kind of fish.  I haven't really had time to research it today.

[Palehorse]

As an aside, I wonder of you can eat that kind of fish.  I haven't really had time to research it today.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/topics/rockfish/index.html

I'd say so, given that it is a member of the rockfish family. 

Before this fish was discovered the oldest previous specimen caught was 157 years old.

http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/Rockfish-Game/description/shortraker.htm