Humboldt Squid

Okay bsteves and Scwafish,  I've been wondering about the humboldt's for a while......It seems like they were a catch you'd hear about occasionally up around Bodega, a boat picked one or two up on a rockfish trip, but within the last few years they've grown into their own fishery and were being targeted as far south as Monterey(In the NorCal area).  Have they always been up here in these kind of numbers and we just didn't notice them cause we were fishing for other stuff?  What are they eating?  I've seen a few posts on coastside suggesting they weren't really eating rockfish but with the Cordell Bank being closed its hard to imagine the unharassed fish population there is not a food source. Lastly, what effect will they have on the long term fishery.  From what I understand they eat a ton and if they're not eating rockfish they gotta be eating other baitfish.....that can't be good for the local fish we like to target.   

I'll have to admit that squid are not my speciality.  However, I do know that the recent increase in the Humboldt squid populations are a mystery even to scientists.   The most popular hypothesis is that squid populations around the world are on the rise as finfish populations are declining due to increased fishing.

Here's a decent article on the National Geographic website...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/07/0718_030718_jumbosquid.html
Unfortunately, I missed the National Geographic TV show that this article refers to.

-Brian

Haven't hear much about Hum-suid this winter?

I think they do eat rockfish, but I'm no authority on it.  I saw several reports of people targetting them up here as rockfish closed early and salmon was closed.  The most intriguing info out of those reports for me was that you'd sometimes put a big B-2 Squid or similar tackle down, "hook" into something strong for an extended fight, then come up with nothing but the metal constituents of the lure still intact - apparently they shred stuff incredibly effectively.  Scary to think of seeing one of those while diving!  (I know they're pretty deep, but still!)   

They eat lots of rockfish, and pretty much anything else in there way.  bsteves is right, we scientific types don't have a good ideas as to why they are on the rise.  On our coast the prevailing hypothesis is that they moved up from Baja with warm currents during the last el nino and stayed around with the abundant prey resources.  They are likely having at least a very localized effect of rockfish and other bottom dwelling fish, but they are known to feed up in the water column as well so they could be eating salmon, mackerel..whatever. 

Are they not on the rise as a result of over fishing the sharks that used to keep them in check?

The Baja shark fishery has devastated the once abundant hammerheads and makos that eat the squid.
Steve

Forget what THEY eat... the question is, can we eat THEM???  I  have eaten some crazy seafood when I lived in Japan, but I think a 10-lb squid would be a chewy SOB.  Like a Firestone.  Anyone brave enough to say they eat them?  Do you pound it like an ab?


 

The large squid are very good to eat. Just the average body section cleans into a large square chunk of meat, maybe 14x14 and 1/2" thick. Cooking the squid is similar to abalone or other fish don't cook to long. And like the ab it can be very tender or very tough if overdone, scoring and pounding work.

If you catch a bunch wear rubber gloves when you clean them, the squid ink has a very spicy smell that is hard to wash off.

We caught and ate them last year. They are saltier than market squid but not chewy at all. They are extremely hard to pull up. It.s likebeing snagged on the bottom. Take a tuna rod or expect to have your gear wrecked.

Ive caught numerous H Squid in Monterey Bay as shallow as 150' They are excelent table fare! I didnt even have to pound them out, But.... Cook them outside if you can, it took two days to get the smell out... I dont think I would like to catch one of those out of the yak...Andy

Here is a little recent info on the humbolt squid. Their main food is Hake, which is a deep water school fish. Thsi fish is common over 300'.
The reasons why the population is increasing is that in Peru there is a area that hold large amounts of marlin and swordfish. The tawianiese has a fleet longlining them and the populations of these fish are heading to 0. These fish eat the humbolt squid as their main food source, hence the increase in humolt squid populations.

I've fished for them twice out of Bodega Bay. My brother and I brought back about twenty in the trunk of my Honda Civic a few years ago. They are great to eat and anyone who says they taste chewy or bitter didn't prepare them right.

You MUST remove the skin which is easy, then remove the thin membrane from BOTH sides of the mantle. The membrane on the outer side comes off easier than the membrane on the inside. If youhave a good fillet knife you can fillet it off like a fish's skin.

Once the membranes are removed, you have 1" thick slabs of super high cholesterol meat!
Sliced thin, breaded and fried in olive oil, it is AWESOME! Once wrapped and frozen, they are good for at least a year.

I've always thought that catching these from a kayak would be a huge accomplishment. They are found 20 miles or so offshore, so if you have a relatively fast ride, you can make it to the squid grounds in 3 hours, a couple drops and you've caught a few squid, then a paddle back and you are a true EXTREME kayak fisherman!

They eat lots of rockfish, and pretty much anything else in there way... but they are known to feed up in the water column as well so they could be eating salmon, mackerel..whatever. 

InSeine I know the main cause of the salmon collapse is upstream but I keep wondering if there's some demon working on them in the ocean