U.S. West Coast fishers are enjoying a monumental season for California market squid.
A cool, wet beginning of the year has helped created ideal spawning conditions for the squid (Doryteuthis opalescens), which grow around eight to 10 inches and live six to nine months. With a geographic range stretching from Alaska to Mexico, California market squid spawn from April to November off the coast of California. Fishermen target the squid shortly after they spawn to ensure the health of the population. However, little is known about their population abundance as no study has ever been carried out by NOAA.
“[They’re] very mysterious,” Scripps Institution of Oceanography Marine Ecologist Ed Parnell told the La Jolla Light. “They’re very hard to follow.”
Nevertheless, San Diego, California-based fisherman Kelly Fukushima said the fishery is “extremely healthy.”…