Anonymous
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Sea of Cortez has giant squid zone?
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/4109568/detail.html
January 19, 2005
LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. -- Crews worked to removed about 500 jumbo squid found dead in the sand Wednesday along a six-mile stretch of Newport Beach.
Officials believe the creatures -- which are 4-6 feet long, including tentacles, and weigh 10-12 pounds apiece -- might have been chasing bait fish
when they were stranded along the shore between 15th Street and the Santa Ana River, said Lifeguard Capt. Eric Bauer of the Newport Beach Fire
Department...
...Typically, the squid "live in deep water, 800 to 2,300 feet deep, so not a whole lot is known about them," Bauer said.
The creatures can be found in the Pacific from Chile to Alaska, he said. Some 25 million of the animals can be found in a 25-square-mile area of the
Sea of Cortez.
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Don Alley
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I saw tons of them last year washed up on the shore near Playa Blanca, south of Loreto. I've also caught them a short distance from town, in
relativley shallow water (less than 100ft, I think). Right now, a commercial squid boat is operating out of Puerto Escondido. Far as I know, these
squid are common in much of the Sea of Cortez, and on the Pacific side of Baja as well. Some years, they reach Southern California and are targeted by
the sportboats.
Don
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Bruce R Leech
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Mood: A lot cooler than Mulege
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these Anonymous posts are all B.S.
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
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MrBillM
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Curious.......
.....to know what is B.S. about the above ? I read the article about the Giant Squid washing up on the Beach in the L.A. Times this a.m.
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PacO
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Who cares about anonymous? How much less can you know any name on here?
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Anonymous
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I think he means it is Big Squid?
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Pompano
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These are not the big Humboldt variety...
...but one or two will feed a crew. What's your favorite recipe?
Sea of Cortez from 300ft. down is good zone.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Skeet/Loreto
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Truth!
For the past 35 years of visiting and living in Loreto, Baja Sur, the following is what I have observed:
30 years ago the Squid would come into the Beaches around Loreto in about 7 year Cycles, then down to about 3 years , now on a yearly Basis.
Hannjin of south Korea bought the Squid Rights for the Sea of cortez and operates a Facility at Santa Rosalilla.
The Squid will grow insize to about 80 Lbs from April to Sept. The fisherman usually 4 to a Panga will Fish with Lights at night bringing in about a
Ton a Night, whereby the Squid will be prepared, put in a 40 Ft. Contanier, taken to Long Beach and Shipped to South Korea.
I have on many occasion seen 40 Tons of Squid per night taken off of Loreto near my Home"Rancho Sonrisa".
Facts
Skeet/Loreto
"In God I Trust"
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Skeet/Loreto
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Pomp!
We Posted about the same time. I have caught my largest and Most Dorado on strips of Squid.
I had a Fish Biologist Friend of my disect an 80 Lb. Squid down to its Eye Lens. Very interesting Beak for eating also.
Keep fishing
Skeet/Loreto
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Pompano
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Squid Row near us....
Hola Skeet...yes, we have found much the same with our squid populations off San Marcos and Pta. Conception. The squid V-cut is a real killer for
dorado for sure. I think the biggest to date for us is a 6 1/2 footer we hauled in about 30 years ago near Isle del Fonso(never weighed it..but it
fed 20 people the next evening at mi casa). I saved that eagle size beak for quite some time before it turned to dust. We caught a lot of squid
during some hot days after dorado using lighted squid rigs...also went out with the San Bruno fleet a couple of nights after panga loads of the big
guys. A real thrill and a little wild when the squid started cannabalizing each other right at the gunnels...you didn't want to fall overboard!!
They would have stripped us bare in a flash.
I caught another big Humboldt last year when spotted bass fishing off Pta. Theresa in about 250ft. The squid would latch onto the bass, left go, then
latch on again...real fun watching it come up out of the depths to grab that fish with it's two longest tentacles...complete with claws that rip flesh
to shreds.
Another fun thing to do with these guys is to let your new guest haul one in to the boat and let him get hosed with 3-4 gallons of seawater when
the squid decides to make a run near the boat. A right of passage for squid fishing.
Tight lines...Pompano.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Pompano
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some squid fun...............
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Pompano
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Actually there is a great TV show on right now on the Discovery Channel about 'Killer Squid', the Humboldt, in the Sea of Cortez off Baja. Check it
out.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Debra
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Last summer on a day trip to Las Animas from BOLA we saw hundreds (maybe thousands) of Squid dead on the beach, I asked Doc. what it was all about and
he said that noone really knew for sure....a few days later I met a Vet. and he told me that they do that when they spawn, same as Salmon. They must
have just died as it wasn't stinky, and the gulls weren't feasting yet. I have to admit I was seeing Calimar steaks, but, decided it might not be a
good idea.
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Pompano
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The squid are not long-lived...
Among interesting facts I found out from the Discovery special on Humboldt squid last night was that they only live about a year...that surprised me a
little. They eat about 15% of their body weight daily and can reach 50 kilos (110 pounds). That's a helluva killing/eating machine!
Debra, maybe you witnessed the life cycle end of a particular hatch. I love calamari steaks, too...but you were probably wise not to sample those on
the beach I fish for them from time to time and maybe sometime we can host a
calamari feast..got any favorite recipes to share?
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Mike Humfreville
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Preparing Giant Squid
Remove the mantle (the tubular body-like part). Throw the rest away. From the mantle, strip a thin membrane off each side (it?s a little thicker on
the outside than the inside). Cut it into manageable pieces and, depending on the size of the animal, cut the pieces of mantle lengthwise so they are
not more that ? inch thick. Pound to tenderize if you want. Dredge in flour. Cook in garlic butter until golden. But in my opinion, the baby
calamari, like served in Italian restaurants, are the best. The bigger they get the tougher they are.
Also, you can cook the tentacles for an hour in boiling water, remove the skin and cups, slice or dice the meat and mix it in with ceviche. It adds a
completely unique texture.
[Edited on 1-24-2005 by Mike Humfreville]
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bajalou
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I remember a local doctor here in San Felipe telling me of his anual fishing trip below Punta Final for the giant squid and the fact you had to haul
them up FAST or they would be devoured by others.
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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Debra
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I like it grilled or BBQed with butter and lemon pepper. 
A Calamari feast sounds goooood!
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Skeet/Loreto
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The Younger the Squid the more Tender and better Tasting for me.
It has been foumd that when the PH Level reaches a certain Level the Squid gets Tougher and less tasty.
The boys in front of Rancho sonrisa would take a small Squirt Bottle igh Clorax and walk along the Beach , on spotting a small Squid or Octopi they
would make a small Squirt on top to the Water. The Squid would stop and he would be picked up and put in a Sack for Dinner. The Squid was Stunned but
other wize not Affected
Skeet/Loreto.
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Anonymous
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jumbo visitors deserve a bit of ink
http://www.dailybreeze.com/sports/articles/1370866.html
By Phil Friedman
January 28, 2005
They are designed to attack and kill. Baja California fishermen call them el diablo rojo -- the red devil. They can live at depths to 2,000 feet and
they posses thousands of sucker cups with teeth that can shred a fish. They are cannibalistic, and while they come from the same family as slugs, they
are intelligent and sophisticated.
They are Dosidicus gigas, more commonly referred to as Humboldt or jumbo squid and incorrectly called giant squid.
Humboldt squid are found mostly in the Sea of Cortez, but for the past few weeks, more and more of these cephalopods have been found just offshore in
Southern California. Brian Blair, skipper of the Ultra out of Newport Landing in Newport Beach, hasn't seen Humboldts this big for decades.
"I haven't seen these things around here since I was a little kid," Blair said as he motored the Ultra toward the mouth of Newport Harbor Saturday.
Just a few minutes outside of Newport Harbor, Blair moved up on a flock of birds. He looked at his sonar and saw a red ball.
"There they are," Blair said. "There's a bunch of them right below."
The anglers on board dropped their heavy, white Sumo lures down to the bottom, about 200 feet. Bill Blake from La Puente stated to retrieve the lure
when something grabbed on. Line started to peel off as others on board met with a similar experience.
Humboldt squid have a voracious appetite, consuming 10 to 15 percent of their body weight every day. They attack by pointing all eight of their
tentacles at their prey. Suddenly, the long tentacles come out with thousands of sucker cups and 36,000 teeth. The coup de gras comes with the
Humboldt's very hard and sharp beak, perfectly designed to extract bite-sized pieces of flesh from its prey.
Back on board the Ultra, dozens of jumbo squid weighing from 10 to 30 pounds were being hoisted to the surface by the anglers on board. As they came
to the surface, the squid would douse many of the anglers on board with gallons of cold sea water.
"This is a tough fight. It's more like a battle," Blake said. "These things are really tough."
As the Humboldts came to the surface, other jumbo squid followed in an attempt to latch on and consume their injured comrades. The hooked squid would
immediately change colors; turning from bright red to white in what many scientists believe is their way of communicating with one another.
Terrence Berg, from the TV show "Catch It," dove into the water to capture some underwater footage of these incredible creatures. As he neared one of
the jumbos, the squid unleashed a cloud of black ink that Berg inhaled. Squid use the black ink as a smoke screen for escape.
Berg started to choke and had to be helped back on board as he spat out remnants of the squid's defense mechanism. Even though he became ill after
swallowing much of the black ink, Berg returned to the water to capture some magnificent underwater footage of these rare visitors to Southern
California.
While most of the Humboldts were released, several were taken home for a delicious calamari meal. Patrick and Philip Friedman took two of these
Humboldts to Nativity School in Torrance. The response was incredible. Students from kindergarten through eighth grade marveled at the creatures that
looked more like a space alien than a marine animal to most of them.
"I will remember this for a long time to come," Blair said. "What an incredible experience."
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Ken Bondy
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This one washed up in front of Alfonsina's
it was still barely alive, even with the big gash below the head.
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