Humboldt Squid Invade California

(AP)  Giant squid weighing up to 60 pounds have invaded the California waters off Newport Beach and are being caught by sport fishermen by the hundreds.

The squid showed up last week and anglers started booking twilight fishing trips over the weekend to catch them.

The animals weigh between 20 and 40 pounds, but a few fishermen have reeled in 60-pound creatures.

The Humboldt squid is also called the jumbo squid or jumbo flying squid and squirts ink to protect itself.

They can grow up to 100 pounds and 6 feet long and follow food sources. The squid have also recently been spotted off San Diego, Oregon and Washington, all on the U.S. West Coast.

Robert Woodbury with Newport Landing Sportfishing told The Orange County Register that anglers in the Southern California county have caught about 400 of the big squid since Friday night.

[student2013]

Why are they such a danger?

[andylarsen12]

Me and my buddy went out on 2/07/2010 and brought home 120#s of the giant squid. I sold most of it to local Asian restaurants but saved about 20#s for myself. Here is one good recipe that I did. I have a Lap band so I needed to find a way to make it easy for me to get down. This one I made for S*perbowl Sunday.

2 Cups Buttermilk
2# Chopped up Squid Parts
2 cloves Garlic
1/4 chopped onion
2T Red Hot Hot sauce
2 Cups Panko Bread crumbs
2 Eggs
2 Cups soy flour ( or all purpose)
4 Cups Veggie oil for frying

1. Soak Squid in buttermilk at least 24 hours
2. Place Squid, garlic, onion and hot sauce in a food processor till it looks like pudding (don't worry this will turn out fantastic!)
3. Scoop 1 Tablespoon at a time into flour,eggs then panko bread crumbs, set aside on clean plate till oil reaches 375 degrees.
4. Fry about 2-3 minutes or till golden brown.Place on paper towel to drain excess oil.
5. Keep warm in 180 degree oven till served
Serve with cocktail sauce or any favorite dipping sauce.

* Note- It's almost impossible to mess this up and you don't have to worry about over cooking, because the squid is ground up.

This recipe can also be baked at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes if you don't want to fry it.

Hope this is helpful!
Enjoy!
Chef Andy Larsen Covina Ca

[qpedro]

The squids in Croatia are not as big as in California but they do like cameras!http://vimeo.com/6837987

[SIKCHUTNAY]

LOCAL FISHERMEN SHOULD ACT QUICKLY TO PROTECT THEIR FISHING GROUNDS AS SURE AS ICE IS COLD THERE'S A *** TRAWLER LURKING ON THE HORIZON!!

[fedup12]

mmmmmmm good eatin

[andylarsen12]

Me and my buddy went out on 2/07/2010 and brought home 120#s of the giant squid. I sold most of it to local Asian restaurants but saved about 20#s for myself. Here is one good recipe that I did. I have a Lap band so I needed to find a way to make it easy for me to get down. This one I made for S*perbowl Sunday.

2 Cups Buttermilk
2# Chopped up Squid Parts
2 cloves Garlic
1/4 chopped onion
2T Red Hot Hot sauce
2 Cups Panko Bread crumbs
2 Eggs
2 Cups soy flour ( or all purpose)
4 Cups Veggie oil for frying

1. Soak Squid in buttermilk at least 24 hours
2. Place Squid, garlic, onion and hot sauce in a food processor till it looks like pudding (don't worry this will turn out fantastic!)
3. Scoop 1 Tablespoon at a time into flour,eggs then panko bread crumbs, set aside on clean plate till oil reaches 375 degrees.
4. Fry about 2-3 minutes or till golden brown.Place on paper towel to drain excess oil.
5. Keep warm in 180 degree oven till served
Serve with cocktail sauce or any favorite dipping sauce.

* Note- It's almost impossible to mess this up and you don't have to worry about over cooking, because the squid is ground up.

This recipe can also be baked at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes if you don't want to fry it.

Hope this is helpful!
Enjoy!
Chef Andy Larsen Covina Ca

[erb0087]

Didn't one of these beasts attack Kirk Douglas once ?

[RedWings_ninety_one]

I once edited wikipedia and said that I had caught the first Humboldt Squid in the early 1800's to feed my family...It stayed on there for about a week before the folks at wikipedia removed it from the page. I couldn't remove it myself because it didn't appear in the editing box when I tried. Just a little story I thought I'd share...

[mahdeealoo]

I hope they're eating them. If not, then it's ridiculous to catch them. Pure greed and waste.

[wwudiver]

Hey genius, Humboldt squid are an invasive species that are decimating fish stocks and destroying native environments. Some say it is global warming, other's that it is due to an imbalance of predators. What every environmentalist can agree to, th ey do not belong north and eating them is an excellent solution.

[BillFHM3C]

Another invasive species that should be eaten is the Snakehead. People on the East Coast take note. Snakehead are very tasty and from what I hear very plentiful. We have them here on O'ahu in Lake Wilson and they aren't causing any trouble. Well, maybe a litte as there isn't enough of them. When nature gives you lots of lemons...make pie!

[omded]

Locally, some boats are catching an average of 6 squid per angler every night. A lot of boats are coming back with over 400 of the beasts! Two years ago, we had a squid invasion. It was in the May/June time frame, and it lasted about 3 months. It was followed by some excellent close-in fishing for a lot of different species. This year, the squid are here earlier, and they've already been here for 3 months. Combining this with the El Nino (which may be why the squid are moving in close), it's looking like we'll have an early summer fishing season, and the fishing will be truly epic. If I'm right, this should be a year to remember! Sharpen up those hooks, and put fresh line on those reels!!!

[cowardlyimbecile]

Most of you are too young to remember Humboldt Squid's first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, or their great live album in the 70s. Good times.