Halibut Facts 'Deep Fish'   The word halibut is derived from the Scandinavian word, halliflundra, meaning 'a fish that can be found in deep holes'.  Halibut can be found as deep as 3600 feet  Most anglers fish for them in 60 to 400 feet of water. 'Reproduction'   A 250 pound female halibut can produce up to 4,000,000 eggs. 'Migration'   Halibut can migrate great distances.  The longest recorded migration was for a fish tagged near Atka in the Aleution Islands.  It was captured at Coos Bay, Oregon, a distance of 2500 miles. 'Record Catch'   The Record for most sport caught halibut in one day was set on June 14, 1994 on a boat out of Seward, Alaska.  At days end, 12 anglers had landed over 3000 pounds of halibut. 'Big Appetite'   The stomach of a six foot halibut examined by the International Pacific Halibut Commission was found to contain one 28 inch salmon, remains of crab, fish and Octopus, and the posterior section of a halibut 16 inches long, 10 inches wide and 4 inches thick. 'Big Ol' Fish'   The oldest, recorded age for a female halibut is 42 years, and the oldest male is 55 years.  The current unofficial world - recorded sport caught halibut was caught on June 10, 1996 by Jack Tragis of Fairbanks, Alaska.  The fish weighed 459 pounds! 'Cold Water'   Halibut are demersal, meaning they live on or near the bottom and prefer water temperatures ranging from 35 to 41 degrees Fahrenheit. 'Top Food'   Out of the hundreds of food items identified in the stomachs of adult halibut, the top items in order are Octopus, Crab, Pacific herring, Pacific Cod, Sand Lance and Flounder.