Big Old Alaskan Fish Turns Out To Be Just Big, Not Old
July 05, 2013 3:50 PM
A nearly 40-pound rockfish caught off the southwest coast of Alaska was thought to be nearly 200 years old. The answer lay in the watery beast's ear bones, which were examined in a lab in Juneau, Alaska. Robert Siegel and Audie Cornish have more.
CORNISH: So they decided to find out. And how does one determine the age of a giant rock-fish? They turned to a lab in Juneau, where scientists examined its ear bones.
TROY TYDINGCO: They count the rings. It's very similar to what you'd have on a tree. They have annual growth rings.
SIEGEL: Troy Tydingco manages sport fishing in Sitka for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. He says this rock-fish was far from a contemporary of Kierkegaard, Dr. Livingston or Stephen Douglas.
TYDINGCO: Yesterday morning we finally did get the age back, and this fish was actually only 64 years old..... http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=199114096
Related > http://www.blog.haulinggear.com/2013/07/centuries-old-rockfish-rougheye.html