BS: Beware of Squid!

Subject: BS: Beware of Squid!
From: beardedbruce
Date: 26 Jul 07 - 01:14 PM

Voracious jumbo squid invade California

Wed Jul 25, 8:15 AM ET



MONTEREY, Calif. - Jumbo squid that can grow up to 7 feet long and weigh more than 110 pounds are invading central California waters and preying on local anchovy, hake and other commercial fish populations, according to a study published Tuesday.

An aggressive predator, the Humboldt squid — or Dosidicus gigas — can change its eating habits to consume the food supply favored by tuna and sharks, its closest competitors, according to an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.

"Having a new, voracious predator set up shop here in California may be yet another thing for fishermen to compete with," said the study's co-author, Stanford University researcher Louis Zeidberg. "That said, if a squid saw a human they would jet the other way."

The jumbo squid used to be found only in the Pacific Ocean's warmest stretches near the equator. In the last 16 years, it has expanded its territory throughout California waters, and squid have even been found in the icy waters off Alaska, Zeidberg said.

Zeidberg's co-author, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute senior scientist Bruce Robison, first spotted the jumbo squid here in 1997, when one swam past the lens of a camera mounted on a submersible thousands of feet below the ocean's surface.

More were observed through 1999, but the squid weren't seen again locally until the fall of 2002. Since their return, scientists have noted a corresponding drop in the population of Pacific hake, a whitefish the squid feeds on that is often used in fish sticks, Zeidberg said.

"As they've come and gone, the hake have dropped off," Zeidberg said. "We're just beginning to figure out how the pieces fit together, but this is most likely going to shake things up."

Before the 1970s, the giant squid were typically found in the Eastern Pacific, and in coastal waters spanning from Peru to Costa Rica. But as the populations of its natural predators — like large tuna, sharks and swordfish — declined because of fishing, the squids moved northward and started eating different species that thrive in colder waters.

Local marine mammals needn't worry about the squid's arrival since they're higher up on the food chain, but lanternfish, krill, anchovies and rockfish are all fair game, Zeidberg said.

A fishermen's organization said Tuesday they were monitoring the squid's impact on commercial fisheries.

"In years of high upwellings, when the ocean is just bountiful, it probably wouldn't do anything," Zeke Grader, the executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations. "But in bad years it could be a problem to have a new predator competing at the top of the food chain."

Subject: RE: BS: Beware of Squid!
From: katlaughing
Date: 26 Jul 07 - 01:28 PM

Sounds as though they should have been monitoring the impact of commercial fishing on squids in order to avoid this.

Subject: RE: BS: Beware of Squid!
From: GUEST,saulgoldie
Date: 26 Jul 07 - 01:28 PM

This ties in with an article I was reading in Mother Jones about the pending extinction of half the worl'd species in the next century. One of the concepts in the article is that of "co-extinction" in which one species goes extinct, and others who depend on that species are also effected, and often go extinct themselves. The flip side of this is when a foreign species (with few or no natural enemies, or enemies that have been diminished by some outside force as the fishing of the tuna, sharks, and swordfish has) comes in to a new territory and upsets the balance as the squid are doing in the article above. Of course, the human species has been doing that for years, which is why we are in such a state, now.

Subject: RE: BS: Beware of Squid!
From: GUEST,The Giant Squid
Date: 26 Jul 07 - 01:34 PM

"Giant" squids my vent! Those are wimp squids. Bully boys who wouldn't venture out beyond about 300 miles from shore because we'd take their lollypops aways and stick 'em up their...well, let's just say we call 'em "squiddy-poos."

Subject: RE: BS: Beware of Squid!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 26 Jul 07 - 02:04 PM

Kirk Douglas could probably offer some good advice about this.

Subject: RE: BS: Beware of Squid!
From: Don Firth
Date: 26 Jul 07 - 02:07 PM

Eat more calimari.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Beware of Squid!
From: Donuel
Date: 26 Jul 07 - 02:19 PM

I saw a guy who built his own flashing light tube go in the water and attract 5 110 lbs squid when they saw the flashing lights similar to their own. One of them actually put its mouth on the light tube. THose squid sure have great lights and colors.

Subject: RE: BS: Beware of Squid!
From: Ernest
Date: 26 Jul 07 - 04:40 PM

So who is going to do "the squid-jigging ground" west-coast style?

Diving for cover
Ernest

Subject: RE: BS: Beware of Squid!
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 26 Jul 07 - 07:21 PM

Good recipe-
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_22893,00.html
This is for a 1 lb. squid, approx.

The Humboldt cut steak style is best braised lightly, breaded, but gets tough with the usual fried calamari recipes. I had it in Monterrey, but can't find a recipe. Anyone??

Subject: RE: BS: Beware of Squid!
From: Joe_F
Date: 27 Jul 07 - 01:52 PM

I Do My Part. I had squid curry for dinner yesterday. Bring them on!

I commend the Takeshima Restaurant in Brookline, MA, which actually serves squid sushi. I do not know what one does to make raw squid tender, but it must be a pretty energetic process.

Subject: RE: BS: Beware of Squid!
From: Don Firth
Date: 27 Jul 07 - 08:14 PM

Some years ago, several of us used to make regular expeditions to one of the authentic Chinese restaurants in Seattle's International District. We threw ourselves on the mercy of May Yee and Charlie Leong, who ordered—in Chinese—off the Chinese menu. When anyone would ask, "What is this?" Charlie would say, "Try if first, then I'll tell you." I discovered a lot of really delicious food that I never would have tried otherwise.

One of May's favorites was squid—the little fellows. And I developed a taste for it too. There they were, a whole big platter-full, complete with sucker-studded tentacles. May and I managed to gross out a few people at the table as we sat there mowing our way through big platter of squid. Chewy little critters, but YUM!!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Beware of Squid!
From: Don Firth
Date: 27 Jul 07 - 08:17 PM

Remember the character "Jaws" in one of the James Bond movies and what he did to the shark?

Just lead me to that giant squid!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Beware of Squid!
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 27 Jul 07 - 09:13 PM

What the article doesn't mention, but the Wikipedia article on the Humboldt Squid does, is that they aren't solitary hunters like their giant squid cousins. They hunt in schools of up to 1200 individuals. That's the equivalent of a squid two kilometers long!

Subject: RE: BS: Beware of Squid!
From: Bill D
Date: 28 Jul 07 - 03:02 PM

a squid squad?

Subject: RE: BS: Beware of Squid!
From: Don Firth
Date: 28 Jul 07 - 03:43 PM

Tartar sauce. Bring lots of tartar sauce.

Don Firth