Saturday, April 07, 2007

A fish to remember

An Alaskan fishing boat has hauled in a rare and striking catch. The shortraker rockfish (Sebastes borealis) caught in the Bering Sea is a giant of its species, nearly 110 cm long and weighing over 27kg. Most interesting, though, is what NOAA scientists found when they counted the layers of bone in its otolith (ear bone). The chunky, deep-dwelling orange fish was, they announced, between 90 and 115 years old.
Thanks to Heather Kellas for pointing me to this item.

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