500 Jumbo Squid Wash Onto California Beaches

Jumbo squid, some as big as 17 pounds, have been washing ashore in Southern California. Usually staying in the deep, it is believed that the squid may have been chasing bait fish or got carried in with the tides.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Hundreds of giant squid are washing up on Orange County beaches, creating a scene more akin to "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" than "The O.C."

The bug-eyed sea creatures, believed to be Humboldt squid, normally reside in deep water and only come to the surface at night. Why approximately 500 of them began washing up on the sands of Laguna Beach and Newport Beach on Tuesday isn't clear.

Authorities said the squid — the biggest weighing 17 pounds — might have been pursuing bait fish and gotten too close to shore, or the tides might simply have carried them in.

"I have heard of this happening before, but it's not a common occurrence," lifeguard Capt. Eric Bauer of the Newport Beach Fire Department said Wednesday.
Squid

[edit on 1/20/05 by FredT]

Is this something that happens periodically? If not, what the heck is going on with the ocean life? We've got whales and dolphins washing up on Australian beaches, pilot and right whales dying in large numbers in the Atlantic, and now this!

This is crazy, what is going on with our world ? Is it time to clense itself again of all the parasites on it ?

With the Tsunami that hit, things have been thrown off a bit, worldwide, not just on land. Most likely, just a theory that these squid, the whales and others are out of the normal areas they live in do to the push from the Tsunami. They are disoriented and end up getting caught in areas they dont normally live in. As far as the pilot whales on NC beaches, the tsunami does affect the oceans worldwide, however we have lots of diverse storms from the north and south clashing over the last 10 days. I mean it was near 80 last Thursday and it snowed yesterday never reaching above 30 here in SE VA. And the winds we got on the Thursday night and Friday were so strong from the south reaching in some areas 60-70 mph the pilots may have been swept towards the beaches and go to close to the shore, making them beach.

hmmm
thats odd, conflicting reports. thats a big difference!

This report is saying over 1,500 dead squid!!! Freaky

www.signonsandiego.com...




NEWPORT BEACH – About 1,500 jumbo squid, apparently far from home, have mysteriously washed up on Orange County beaches, creating a scene more akin to "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" than "The O.C."

The bug-eyed sea creatures, believed to be Humboldt Squid, normally reside in deep water offshore and only come to the surface at night. That means people rarely see them.

They are typically found in South America but have in recent years been spotted in large numbers in the Gulf of California, Oregon and Alaska. Scientists said they aren't sure what prompted the migration.

"These things are invading, and we don't know what's going on," said John McGowan, professor emeritus at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla. "It may be they're following a warm California current. Oceanographers don't have a clue why a large population of squid like this is moving north or why they strand themselves.

[edit on 20-1-2005 by ghoulardi]