They say that everything is bigger in Texas, but the world’s biggest rockfish was caught pretty far away from the land of spurs and cowboy hats. Henry Liebman, an Alaskan real estate developer, hooked a record-breaking beast about ten miles off the coast of Sitka on June twenty first.
The former record-holding rockfish had had its age estimated to be around 175-years-old, and the specimen that Liebman caught is estimated to be around 200-years-old since it is quite a bit bigger than the previous record-holder.
Rockfish do not stop growing once they reach adulthood, and proceed to get larger the older they become. This information comes in handy when trying to estimate how old a rockfish might be. The information is surely not unknown to Liebman, who has been in avid pursuit of rockfish for years now.
In his interview with ABC News, Liebman went on to state, “I’ve been fishing all my life and I went out targeting this species… I just wanted to try and catch one because no one fishes for them.”
The lack of active hunters of the fish is for good reason; rockfish live in the deep ocean, where most fishermen won’t go, either out of fear or lack of means. Liebman released a massive amount of bait about 900 feet beneath the ocean’s surface in pursuit of his target. It seems that his efforts have certainly paid off.
The fish, weighing in at nearly forty pounds, has broken an Alaskan state record for largest fish caught. The fish’s exact age is yet to be determined, but a few things are for sure; it is big, ugly, ancient, and magnificent.
When questioned by ABC News on the topic of his epic fisherman’s tale, Liebman was quoted as saying, “I think it’s just a kick. You know for some people something so old is out of their perspective. So you have fun with it.”