More squid

[Jak Crow]

Diving breakwater yesterday, we found several humboldt squid washed up in the surf, some still alive but looking like they had probably spawned, with a few shooting by during the dive and I was coming across dead squid egg pods in the shallows that were bigger than the typical market squid eggs.

Last week while diving the wharf, I saw several recently market squid which made me think another population had spawned nearby.

 

[KRL1973]

While diving Macabee yesterday my family on shore found a big squid there as well. It was alive at the time and I saw it myself later after my dive but it was dead by then. It was clearly bigger than and not a market squid. Are there really humboldt squid here in monterey? I wasn't aware of that. Has anyone observed them here before? I wonder how common they are here

 

[g1138]

My friend who works as guest experience at the MB Aquarium caught a few shots of Humbolts off the back deck Saturday. They're not very common here.
I was skin diving Del Monte that day and only caught a close encounter w/ a Mola mola. There were tons of Melibes on the few kelp plants as well.

 

[Jak Crow]

While diving Macabee yesterday my family on shore found a big squid there as well. It was alive at the time and I saw it myself later after my dive but it was dead by then. It was clearly bigger than and not a market squid. Are there really humboldt squid here in monterey? I wasn't aware of that. Has anyone observed them here before? I wonder how common they are here

I have a few photos from Saturday that I will put up later. Also, Blue Ocean Whale Watch has photos of humboldt squid feeding on market squid during the day, which is also unusual.

 

[andrewy]

[video=youtube;uN3EAwAVOYM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN3EAwAVOYM&feature=plcp[/video]

Squid at pt. Lobos on Saturday

 

[Allison Finch]

Humboldts are moving up the California coast in recent years. It has alarmed many marine biologists. They are blaming a slight warming as a reason.

MBARI News Release - Humboldt squid on the move

Predator Heads North - National Wildlife Federation


There is worry about a possible severe impact on fish populations, as they are spreading thickly.

 

[Peter_C]

Squid at pt. Lobos on Saturday

That is a lot of squid to feed! Hopefully we don't start seeing them decimate our fish stocks.

 

[Jak Crow]

Here's one that we saw in the surf.

 

[KRL1973]

About 100 Humboldt squid wash up on Pacific Grove shore - MontereyHerald.com :

recent related article

 

[g1138]

We got this one off the beach @ Hopkins Marine Station. I think it was on it's last leg. It turned burgundy red a few minutes later when friends were posing with it for pictures. Started to drip ink too. Don't worry about it though, it never made any movement at all. Really the only think that maybe suggested it was still alive was the color change. We considered it too far gone.

The grad student who pick this one up had to race the seagulls to it. There were a few others that were completely demolished by the time he got to them.

On a sadder note, the sealions were having a field day with the Molas.