Voracious jumbo squid invade California

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070725/ap_on_sc/jumbo_squid_invasion;_ylt=ApFM_WsbZrupfokyRtyg.DOs0NUE

Voracious jumbo squid invade California

5 minutes ago

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.

more...

but it does sound delicious.

This story is less interesting than anticipated.

:grr:

Now we have squid eating all the fodder for the fish we eat...

Oh well...anyone for a plate of giant calamari at Friday's?

Except I think this squid is non-edible for other reasons.

L-

and perhaps choose to consume beach goers as their next meal?

and ship a few to the Oval Office, eh?

Unexpected result of Global Warming..

Hope they don't report surfers being dragged off their boards next.. the Mexicans call these guys "DEVIL FISH", and are scared shitless of them if they fall in the waters off of Baja..

I was doing an oceanography survey offshore of Eureka, CA, and when we were pulling up a CTD instrument (below) we felt something giving us some resistance. We thought we had maybe got caught up in a crab trap assembly, but as we yanked harder up came one of these squid. We did not see the whole animal because it let go as we got it close to the surface. We assume it was one of these Humboldt squid based on the thickness of the tentacles we could clearly see. Neat looking animal.

Fishermen hold up Humboldt squid in this photo taken June 4 in Ventura, Calif. The Humboldt squid, which can grow up to 7 feet long and weigh more than 110 pounds, is invading central California waters and preying on local anchovy, hake and other commercial fish populations.