The fishing began roughly 30 miles from shore when captain Rick Powers killed the motor and told his 28 clients to drop their lines to the bottom, a full 600 feet below, where a mass of pulp loomed on the fish finder screen: Humboldt squid by the thousands. These animals, which grow as large as 50 pounds in just one year of life, don't fuss or finick when two dozen lures appear before them out of the blue. Constantly ravenous, these animals eat first, ask questions later, and 100 fathoms up nearly every person onboard the Angler hooked up instantly.One guy was quoted as saying, "After the fifth squid, I was pouring sweat," which is not something you hear every day. I have to laugh, but then, I'm sobered by the thought of the two hundred and twenty-two squid this boat landed in just one day of fishing. Will they all be eaten, or will some of those carcasses go to waste?
People are going to go out sport fishing, and they're going to catch as many squid as they can. That's just how it is. But I'm thinking of contacting the boat captain to let him know that if the anglers aren't going to eat everything they catch, they can donate their excess squid to science education and outreach . . .
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