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Everything’s in season for squid along Pacific Coast

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 7, 2008 at 7:37 am

Here’s the “ew-yuck” story for your weekend:

Out of Half Moon Bay, 100 miles out to sea, the ocean surface erupted for a half mile in a froth of white water and tentacles. “The squid were eating a school of fish,” said commercial fisherman Bob Longstreth. “I’ve seen them out there. Serious predators.”

In another episode, a gang of Humboldt squid had circled the boat New Salmon Queen from Emeryville. The squid were in full attack, with the anglers aboard hooking up on every drop. Capt. Craig Shimukuzu got out his video camera to film the action and as he pressed the record button, the ocean “blew up” – a pod of 10 killer whales came to the surface in a feeding frenzy of their own, slashing the squid to bits with their teeth.

The Humboldt squid are one of the fastest growing creatures, gaining 100 lbs. in a year and growing up to six feet long. And they are voracious eaters:

The chain of amazing episodes reported by those on the sea tells you this: They eat everything in their paths.

One night, for instance, when the lights were left on aboard the commercial boat Promise, the glow on the night sea attracted needlefish, anchovies and sardines around the boat. That’s when the Humboldt squid showed up and attacked, Longstreth said. By morning, 800 pounds of squid were stuck to the side of the boat and the skipper had to gaff them one-by-one to get them off.

On the Huli Cat, in the middle of a similar frenzy, Mattusch found what he thought was a two-headed squid. On close inspection, however, he saw “one had actually eaten the body of another, and only the head was sticking out.”

Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.

December 7, 2008 · Filed Under Other Oceans & Beaches Stories, Weird & Wacky Water News

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