Humboldt Squid - Gone! Outlook Excellent Year!
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At least this one's fishing related. @(
FISH HARD!
FISH HARD!
Ghostboy said:
GB,
I dont know if the cold water has anything to do with it as they are a cold water species and usually occur in cold water. I believe they spend most of their time in depts of over 1000ft where the water is pretty cold and come up to the warm surface to feed. In fact, their name is derived from the Humbolt current which is a cold water current. They are still a big problem down in San Quintin where the water has been colder than up here.
Scott
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A friend of mine did one of those twilight giant squid trips last season. They found sandbass in them and the captain told him that the squid was mostly to blame for the poor sandbass counts.Moose_Head said:
Hopefully the sand bass will make a good showing, nothing better than running 3 or 4 miles and putting some kids on the bass. Cant wait to get my 10 year old daughter out for her first time:tu:
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They can't be gone when they haven't yet arrived...prediction is a little premature...we will know by July or August...
Yes, the Squid gather in deep water when not feeding, but come into the shallows for dinner. As as far as an issue with them in San Quintin - good for us! Another angle - explain the return of the Bonita and Barracuda - NO SQUID - Ghostboy!
This post edited by Ghostboy 06/01/2008
This post edited by Ghostboy 06/01/2008
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re: Give It A Rest!!!
This post edited by Baja Dreamer 06/01/2008
I'm sorry but I'm calling bush!t on this one! @( As it happens, we have a beak from a Humbolt that was 40+ lbs. in weight in the freezer, that was given to my daughter by Norm Kagawa on the SHOGUN. The largest sand bass that would fit through that beak at maximum open would be maybe 5 or 6" long if that! Squid don't swallow their prey whole. They hold it and bite chunks out of it with that "parrot beak" of theirs! For a squid that was big enough to eat whole sand bass that would still be in an identifiable condition, I would guess that it would have to be well over 100 lbs. and be 8' long at the very least! The overwhelming majority of those caught don't begin to approach this size. Now understand something. I'm not saying that the squid don't/won't eat a turd roller, but I'm sure as heck gonna question anyone who says they have seen a sand bass come out of one! Pieces of fish yes. But of an identifiable size? Very unlikely! FISH HARD!island bound said:
This post edited by Baja Dreamer 06/01/2008
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I bet that skipper has more to do with the lower counts of sand bass than those pain in the arse squid do... How many days in a row can you throw 3000 sand bass in gunny sacks during the spawn and expect anything but a decline in the population? The sandies have been pretty worked over, look at the last couple of years at San O, IB, etc- just my 2 centsisland bound said:
This post edited by bassnet 06/01/2008
I would question the whole sandbass in the squid thing tooo, as for the return of the Bonito more specifically is due to the fact they were only getting a few cents per pound at the cat food factory in mexico and were not making any money so the factory closed a year or two ago. Both fish are migratory and will spawn and feed where conditions are right. Looks like its going to be a banner year for both species. Good luck and good fishing guys.
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The first time that I ever heard about the squid affecting the sand bass spawn was from the local pangero's in San Quintin. I have a vacation home / boat in S,Q. and have fished it for the past 20 year's, and last year's sand bass run was the worst that many can remember. The S.Q. locals blamed the squid for the dismal sand bass fishing last summer. They believe that the squid intercepted the bass on their migration from deep water to shallow. The big bonito and log barracuda showed up in mass as usual. Normally the sand bass are so thick down there I consider them a pest. We made several trips in my boat from S.Q. down to Punta Baja and the entire 30 mile area in between is usually thick with sand bass, but last year "for the most part" you really had to work just to get a couple. Something decimated the Sand bass spawn and it sure wasn't the sport fleet This past winter the squid were not much of a problem as compared to last. But it's just been the last month or so, that the squid have showed up like locust on the local banks, compared to last winter's early infestation that lasted well into the summer. It could just be the beginning of their migration Norte.
This post edited by Sea Esta 06/01/2008
This post edited by Sea Esta 06/01/2008
These squid are an ecological disaster due to their tremendous growth rate and ranvenous appetites. Even more alarming is the fact that they seem to be increasing their range and can now be found as far north as Oregon and Washington. This is very very bad news for local populations of sedentary species as these predatory squid do not discriminate and will wipe out anything they can catch. What surprises me is why no one is studying the effects that these things have on endemic species along the California coast as this truly is huge problem considering the current pred/prey imbalance occuring in the worlds oceans.
Scott
Scott
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re: Give It A Rest!!!
Critical info is pretty easy to find .......
Humboldt or Jumbo Squid
Dosidicus gigas
Habitat
Humboldt squid live at depths of 660 to 2,300 feet in the eastern Pacific, ranging from Tierra del Fuego north to California. They take their name from the Humboldt Current in which they live off the coast of South America. Recently, the squid have been appearing further north, as far as Sitka, Alaska, raising alarm about ecological problems possibly underlying the northward migration. Some oceanographers suggest that warming oceans are at fault, while others speculate that declining numbers of the squid's predators due to overfishing may have allowed Humboldts to expand their range.
Physical description
Jumbo squid can reach up to six feet and weigh as much as 100 pounds. Their skin varies from deep purplish-red to white. Like other cephalopods, muscle-bound chromatophores on their skin enable them to flash a range of colors. They have two diamond-shaped fins which they use to swim and glide.
Lifespan
The average life span of a Humboldt squid is about one year.
Predators
Sperm whales, sharks, seals, swordfish, and marlin feed on Humboldt squid of all sizes, while gulls and large fish often capture juveniles.
Prey
Schools of squid surface at night to hunt lanternfish, shrimp, mollusks, and other cephalopods. They are also known to cannibalize other jumbo squid that have been maimed or captured in nets. The squid use the sharp, barbed suckers on their feeding tentacles to pierce the flesh of prey and drag it to their mouths where a fierce, baseball-sized beak tears it to shreds.
Jumbo squid are notoriously aggressive and have earned the nickname diablos rojos, or â??red devilsâ?? from Mexican shrimpers, who fish them in the off-season. Fishermen exploit the Humboldts' affinity for lanternfish by using lights as fishing lures. The squid may attack divers when threatened and will continue to put up a fight even after they've been caught, blasting their captors with water and ink.
Behavior
Humboldt squid hunt in schools containing as many as 1,200 individuals. They swim at speeds from three to 15 miles an hour and can eject themselves from the water and glide through the air to escape predators. link tomore about locomotion
The squid undergo mass migrations in these groups for the purposes of feeding and spawning. In the spring, thousands of individuals race north to the Gulf of California. Recently, hundreds of dead Homboldts have washed ashore on beaches in Orange County. Oceanographers suspect environmental causes are to blame.
Reproduction
Experts know little about how jumbo squid spawn, in large part because the squid spend most of their lives at depths unsafe for diving. Their eggs have never been observed in nature. Like most cephalopods, Humboldt squid reproduce only once in their lifetime.
Status
Humboldt's are heavily fished off the coast of Mexico, but because ecologists know little about the size of their population, it has yet to be determined whether this practice is sustainable. Because of a dearth of information regarding squid, none are protected by CITES or the IUCN Red List.
Did you know...
Squid-like cephalopods are often referred to as Teuthids. The giant squid is called Architeuthis meaning â??ruling squid.â?? These mysterious deep-sea creatures are the world's largest invertebrates, measuring 35 to 60 feet in length. Although a number of their monstrous carcasses have washed ashore or been discovered in the stomach's of whales, only one has been seen alive, in September 2004.
Critical info is pretty easy to find .......
Humboldt or Jumbo Squid
Dosidicus gigas
Habitat
Humboldt squid live at depths of 660 to 2,300 feet in the eastern Pacific, ranging from Tierra del Fuego north to California. They take their name from the Humboldt Current in which they live off the coast of South America. Recently, the squid have been appearing further north, as far as Sitka, Alaska, raising alarm about ecological problems possibly underlying the northward migration. Some oceanographers suggest that warming oceans are at fault, while others speculate that declining numbers of the squid's predators due to overfishing may have allowed Humboldts to expand their range.
Physical description
Jumbo squid can reach up to six feet and weigh as much as 100 pounds. Their skin varies from deep purplish-red to white. Like other cephalopods, muscle-bound chromatophores on their skin enable them to flash a range of colors. They have two diamond-shaped fins which they use to swim and glide.
Lifespan
The average life span of a Humboldt squid is about one year.
Predators
Sperm whales, sharks, seals, swordfish, and marlin feed on Humboldt squid of all sizes, while gulls and large fish often capture juveniles.
Prey
Schools of squid surface at night to hunt lanternfish, shrimp, mollusks, and other cephalopods. They are also known to cannibalize other jumbo squid that have been maimed or captured in nets. The squid use the sharp, barbed suckers on their feeding tentacles to pierce the flesh of prey and drag it to their mouths where a fierce, baseball-sized beak tears it to shreds.
Jumbo squid are notoriously aggressive and have earned the nickname diablos rojos, or â??red devilsâ?? from Mexican shrimpers, who fish them in the off-season. Fishermen exploit the Humboldts' affinity for lanternfish by using lights as fishing lures. The squid may attack divers when threatened and will continue to put up a fight even after they've been caught, blasting their captors with water and ink.
Behavior
Humboldt squid hunt in schools containing as many as 1,200 individuals. They swim at speeds from three to 15 miles an hour and can eject themselves from the water and glide through the air to escape predators. link tomore about locomotion
The squid undergo mass migrations in these groups for the purposes of feeding and spawning. In the spring, thousands of individuals race north to the Gulf of California. Recently, hundreds of dead Homboldts have washed ashore on beaches in Orange County. Oceanographers suspect environmental causes are to blame.
Reproduction
Experts know little about how jumbo squid spawn, in large part because the squid spend most of their lives at depths unsafe for diving. Their eggs have never been observed in nature. Like most cephalopods, Humboldt squid reproduce only once in their lifetime.
Status
Humboldt's are heavily fished off the coast of Mexico, but because ecologists know little about the size of their population, it has yet to be determined whether this practice is sustainable. Because of a dearth of information regarding squid, none are protected by CITES or the IUCN Red List.
Did you know...
Squid-like cephalopods are often referred to as Teuthids. The giant squid is called Architeuthis meaning â??ruling squid.â?? These mysterious deep-sea creatures are the world's largest invertebrates, measuring 35 to 60 feet in length. Although a number of their monstrous carcasses have washed ashore or been discovered in the stomach's of whales, only one has been seen alive, in September 2004.
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