The View from the West

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

El Nino might explain 'diablos rojos'

By: Robert Alison

3/11/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

HUGE shoals of aggressive vicious Humboldt (jumbo) squid have flooded into the Pacific Ocean off Canada's west coast, ravaging fish stocks and potentially threatening humans.

These large carnivorous invertebrates, which weigh in excess of 45 kilograms, normally do not occur north of the Humboldt Current in northern California. But, recently, they have invaded northward, as far as Alaska. They are currently abundant off British Columbia.

"They are voracious, the piranhas of the sea and they attack anything and everything," said Maurice Tremblay of Port Renfrew, who heads the local Salmon Enhancement Society.

Hundreds have recently washed ashore along the west coast of Vancouver Island.

"They are big and powerful," said Peter Machek of Ocean Mist Charters on Vancouver Island. "They occur in big packs, often containing several hundred, and they attack and mob whatever they encounter."

Duncan, B.C., sportsman Lauren Holman says he has recently encountered boat-sized squid, some weighing more than 100 kilograms. Sometimes, larger squid attempt to board fishing vessels.

Dime-sized suction cups on the tentacles of squid are lined with sharp teeth that leave permanent scars if they contact human skin.

"We are encountering many salmon with squid scars on their bodies," Machek confirmed.

Holman added that squid are so dangerous that if one is caught and brought aboard a vessel, it is best to kill it immediately as a precaution; otherwise it "wraps its tentacles around your leg and bites with its sharp beak".

According to the California Department of Fish and Game, Humboldt squid even attack large sharks. Recently, a mako shark was examined and its body was found to have several dozen squid scars.

The first British Columbia Humboldt record was in 2004. According to the Royal BC Museum, since then numbers have soared exponentially.

Despite their often-vicious disposition, the flesh of these squid is considered a delicacy. The flesh is sliced, basted with buttermilk and then fried.

"It is incredible tasty," Holman said.

Although some researchers insist that Humboldt squid are tame and timid around people, there are records that document fatal attacks by these animals on human victims. Mexican fishermen call them "diablos rojos" (red devils). At La Paz, Mexico, a diver-photographer was attacked so aggressively by a group squid that his arm was dislocated, his body was ripped by bites and he was "gang-dragged" down 30 metres before he escaped.

California researchers confirm these squid have an "insatiable" hunger that drives them to eat anything, and they "ruthlessly cannibalize one another, given an opportunity to do so."

These squid move very rapidly by means of a special water-siphon that jet-propels them forward. They can catch virtually anything they pursue.

Biologists speculate that the recent invasion of Humboldt squid off Canada's Pacific coast might be related to warming marine waters, possible related to El Nino events.

Robert Alison has a PhD in zoology and is based in Victoria, B.C.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 3, 2009 A12

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