TOPIC OF DISCUSSION – Tourists cross Lincoln Street behind a new set of barricades this afternoon. The Tourism Task Force will be presenting its recommendations to the Assembly 6 p.m. Thursday at Harrigan Centennial Hall. The task force, which has been meeting for the past year on various tourism-related topics, will present a list of 32 findings at the meeting, which is open to the public. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
After four months of special meetings to review and d [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
Living amid craggy peaks and remnant glaciers, Southea [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
In the play opening Thursday at the Sitka Performing [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
A late-session attempt to salvage a proposal that would revive [ ... ]
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
May 14
At 7:46 a.m. a reckless driver was r [ ... ]
Life Celebration
For Carl Peterson
The family of Carl Peterson, 85, will have a celebration of his lif [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Alaska Department of Education is taking public c [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitka’s pent-up demand for swim lessons was in full [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Racing against schools from across Southeast in the l [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Sitka’s softballers split a three-game series with Juneau-Douglas Friday a [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
Members of the Alaska Senate approved a bill that would increa [ ... ]
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
May 13
At 12:43 a.m. an out-of-town caller [ ... ]
Robin Klanott, 61
Dies in Anchorage
Longtime Sitka resident Robin Klanott passed away at Anchorage Reg [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Assembly is winding up work on the city budgets f [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
Alaska state lawmakers are preparing for a final vote on a bill t [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Playing in variable weather in the last regular seaso [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
The Alaska House of Representatives voted 22-18 late Sunday to ba [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
Alaska lawmakers overwhelmingly voted to support a federal pro [ ... ]
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
May 10
At 12:19 a.m. a man was reported to [ ... ]
Native Artist Residency
Program at SJ Museum
Sheldon Jackson Museum has announced the participants for [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Assembly voted 6-0 at a special meeting Thursday [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Sitka Police said today that officers responding to a report of a man found unrespo [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
A week and a half after passing an initial budget for [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Sitka High routed the Thunder Mountain Falcons on the baseball diamond Thurs [ ... ]
Daily Sitka Sentinel
Record-Sized Rockfish May Also be the Oldest
By TOM HESSE
Sentinel Staff Writer
A record-breaking rockfish was hauled in near Sitka last week.
Henry Liebman reeled in the 39.08-pound shortraker late last week, breaking the old record of 38.69 pounds for a shortraker caught on sportfishing gear.
The age of the fish hasn’t yet been determined, but that too might be a record, a fishery expert said.
Liebman, an insurance adjustor who works in Seattle, said he frequently visits Sitka to charter fish, so he knew that he had a large fish on when the shortraker struck.
“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 said.
A fishery biologist said this shortraker may have been patrolling Sitka’s coast since the time of Alexander Baranov.
Troy Tidingco, Sitka area manager for the state Department of Fish and Game, certified Liebman’s catch, and said this fish might be in the neighborhood of 200 years old.
“The rougheye is the oldest-aged fish at 205,” Tydingco said. He said the longevity record for shortrakers, which are often confused with rougheyes, is 175 years. But that record fish, he said “was quite a bit smaller than the one Henry caught.”
“That fish was 32 and a half inches long, where Henry’s was almost 41 inches, so his could be substantially older.”
Samples of the fish have been sent to a lab in Juneau where the actual age of Liebman’s fish will be determined.
Rockfish live at depths that range between 84 feet all the way down to almost 4,000 feet. Liebman said he was fishing at a depth of around 900 feet, 10 miles out when his giant shortraker took his bait.
The fish went back to Washington with Liebman, who plans to have it mounted.
He also took home a big fish story that he said he’s already been “getting a lot of mileage” out of.
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20 YEARS AGO
May 2004
Sitka Community Hospital has drawn $193,000 on its line of credit from the city to make payroll, which will be paid back within 60 days, hospital officials told the Assembly Tuesday.
50 YEARS AGO
May 1974
Congressman Don Young, R-Alaska, has announced that Sitka has received an Airport Development grant from the Department of Transportation for $4,201,166 for paving the runway extension, runway lights, a runway embankment and other improvements at the Sitka Airport.