The Circle of Life--Squid Style

The Circle of Life--Squid Style

The Jaffe Laboratory at UC San Diego posted some lovely videos of market squid mating aggregations off La Jolla in Southern California. Check them out here. The first one is just classic: murky green…
Searching For Squid In The Sea Soundscape

Searching For Squid In The Sea Soundscape

Do sperm whales use sonar to stun giant squid? In a word: maybe. I delved quite enthusiastically into the topic last year, and came out tantalized and frustrated by limited evidence. So I was very…
Frankincense Doomed: Gold, Myrrh Next?

Frankincense Doomed: Gold, Myrrh Next?

Frankincense is a milky, fragrant resin used in incense and perfumes across the world and is also a key part of the Christmas story but trees are declining so dramatically that production could be…
"Mini-Shark" Squid (a.k.a. Diamondback Squid)

"Mini-Shark" Squid (a.k.a. Diamondback Squid)

I missed reporting it when it happened at the end of November, but a group of Indian fishermen caught a rather larger squid than they were expecting: This rare squid, caught by the fishermen of King…
. . . And Stay Closed!

. . . And Stay Closed!

To recap: in 2011, the California market squid fishery caught tons of squid (118,000 tonnes to be exact) and was all set to close. However, some fishers noted the continued abundance of…
Slow Fishing For Squid In The Adriatic

Slow Fishing For Squid In The Adriatic

Slow Food's Michele Rumiz has posted a ruminative piece about squid fishing on Unije, a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea: Every November, the island calls its aficionados to fish squid (called…
Slow Fishing For Squid In The Adriatic

Slow Fishing For Squid In The Adriatic

Slow Food's Michele Rumiz has posted a ruminative piece about squid fishing on Unije, a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea: Every November, the island calls its aficionados to fish squid (called…
A Neon Sign Of Climate Change

A Neon Sign Of Climate Change

Squids are mercurial, unpredictable creatures of extremes. Call them abundant, call them quite rareIt depends on the climate--the sea and the airOne species expands, another contractsThese are the…
Nifty Squid Vid

Nifty Squid Vid

The Humboldt squid's "invasion" of California has been a sophisticated series of move and counter-move. They're here, then they're gone; they're big, then they're small. I've explained--and Professor…
Babies Found in Discarded Shopping Cart

Babies Found in Discarded Shopping Cart

Before you get too horrified, let me clarify: they were squid babies, and the shopping cart was underwater. I learned about the discovery from NewsTalkZB, which reports that at an aquarium in…