VALDEZ – A 264 pound halibut reeled in by Calvin Carr just a week before the end of the Valdez Halibut Derby held on to take the $15,000 first place prize at the close of the derby Sunday. Carr caught his halibut aboard the Otter Dodger on August 26^th. A group of about 70 gathered at the Elks Lodge for the awards ceremony and to watch the truck drawing. Everyone who purchased a derby ticket had a chance to win a 4x4 Ford F-150, but when the ticket was drawn, it was Maliwan Turner of Valdez who drove home the prize.

In the halibut derby, Bill Kelly took home $5,000 for second place with a 237.7 pound halibut he reeled in August 28^th aboard the Victorious. Mike Burke of Henderson, Nevada took 3^rd place and won $2,000 cash with the 233 pound halibut he caught August 12 while fishing aboard the Dan Orion.

Diana Doodchenko of Canada caught her 17.88 pound silver salmon July 25^th and was doubtful it would hang on to take the 1^st place prize of $15,000 in the Silver Salmon Derby. Doodchenko’s husband had a 3 x 5 picture printed in Valdez of his wife with her fish because he said he had a tradition of framing his wife’s prize fishing catches. As it turns out, this fish will provide much more than a memory. Tom Parker of Billings, Montana won 2^nd place and $5,000 in the silver derby with a 16.70 pound silver he caught August 18^th and Joel Brown of Valdez brought home the 3^rd place prize of $2,000 cash for the 16.10 pound silver he caught August 15^th.

The $500 cash prize for the charter captain taking out the winning halibut angler went to Dennis Petri of the Otter Dodger who said he was planning to give the money to his granddaughter who worked as his deck hand this summer. Nancy Meador won the $500 prize for selling the ticket to Calvin Carr. Dan Eames won $500 for being Diana Doodchenko’s Captain July 25^th and Greg Kern of Fish Central won the $500 ticket seller’s prize for the silver derby.