An invasion of giant Humboldt squid off the coasts of Orange and San Diego counties in California has attracted anglers on expeditions to Southern California to reel in hundres of squid in what has been described as a “squid frenzy.”
Last week, nearly 15 anglers reeled in about 340 squid near Dana Point, in southern Orange County.
Rob Armes, who works at Davey’s Locker Sportsfishing and Whale Watching, told the Times that squid “were floating all around the boat” and were “everywhere.”
He said if there had been 40 or 50 anglers, 800 to 900 squid could have been caught in a day last week.
The Humboldt squid can grow “to the size of a small person” in warmer waters and “eat everything in their path.”
Dianna Porzio, a California Department of Fish and Wildlife marine biologist, said the squid invasion is a “natural occurrence that happens periodically since about 2003, although we are not exactly sure why.
“Humboldt, or jumbo squid, is a short-lived species that has experienced a range expansion in the last decade or so and are probably feeding and spawning off our coast, but they are normally found in deeper water,” Porzio said.
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