Front Office Football Central - NZ Fishermen Land Colossal Squid

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NZ Fishermen Land Colossal Squid

Sets the bar for what is considered truly "Colossal".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6385071.stm

Quote:

NZ fishermen land colossal squid
New Zealand fishermen have caught what is expected to be a world-record-breaking colossal squid.
Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said the squid, weighing an estimated 450kg (990lb),took two hours to land in Antarctic waters.

Local news said the Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni was about 10m (33ft) long, and was the first adult colossal squid landed intact.

One expert said calamari rings made from it would be like tractor tyres.

"I can assure you that this is going to draw phenomenal interest. It is truly amazing," Steve O'Shea from Auckland's University of Technology told local media.

Colossal squid, which are found deep in Antarctic waters, are thought to be about the same length as giant squid (Architeutis dux) but are much heavier.

The species was first identified in 1925, but very few specimens have been found.

The first specimen recovered intact, a 150kg (330lb) immature female, was caught on the surface in the Ross Sea near the Antarctic coast in April 2004.

'Nearly dead'

Mr Anderton said the fishermen had been fishing for Patagonian toothfish in deep Antarctic waters when the squid - which was eating a toothfish - was caught.

"The squid was almost dead when it reached the surface, and the careful work of the crew was paramount in getting this specimen aboard in good condition," he said.

The squid was frozen in the ship's hull and brought back to New Zealand for scientific examination.

"The colossal squid has just arrived in New Zealand and it is likely that it is the first intact adult male colossal squid to ever be successfully landed," Mr Anderton said

I read this on another board and hurried over here. Glad to see the thread was already created

Flying Spaghetti Monster my ass. All hail the Colossal Squid!

pics plz k thx

bye!

All hail the Second Coming of the Colossal Squid!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Subby (Post 1399677)

pics plz k thx

bye!

wow - from the looks of the picture, I think that NZ fishermna must be about 50ft long.

Well we do have quite the reputation, but I can't cop to 50 ft, that would be a slight exaggeration.

Hmm. I looked up "Patagonian Toothfish" on wiki, thinking that it would be something exotic. It turns out that toothfish is already marketed in the US as Chilean Sea Bass (while not so exotic, is still of course, somewhat expensive). I guess you learn something new every day. Who knew that it wasn't really a bass and may not even be Chilean?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue (Post 1399694)

That's a lot of bait!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klinglerware (Post 1400036)

part of Patagonia is in Chile. I guess toothfish would be a little bit of a harder sell than sea bass.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Desnudo (Post 1400215)

part of Patagonia is in Chile. I guess toothfish would be a little bit of a harder sell than sea bass.

True, though it looks like most of this stuff isn't caught around South America anymore because of overfishing...

Quote:

One expert said calamari rings made from it would be like tractor tyres.

I'm heading to Costco now for a 55 gallon drum of cocktail sauce.

Ladies and gentlemen...the octosquid.

http://science.slashdot.org/article....11251&from=rss

Note to self: avoid ocean.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sachmo71 (Post 1495970)

Ladies and gentlemen...the octosquid.

http://science.slashdot.org/article....11251&from=rss

It's pretty much my favorite animal. It's like a lion and a tiger mixed... bred for its skills in magic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crim (Post 1496213)

It's pretty much my favorite animal. It's like a lion and a tiger mixed... bred for its skills in magic.

gold

Here's a runner-up to the NZ Squid - merely a giant, not colossal:

Giant Squid Appears in Australia

Jul 11 07:49 AM US/Eastern

HOBART, Australia (AP) - A squid as long as a bus and weighing 550 pounds washed up on an Australian beach, officials said Wednesday.

"It is a whopper," said Genefor Walker-Smith, a zoologist who studies invertebrates at the Tasmanian Museum.

Giant squid live in waters off southern Australia and New Zealand—where a half-ton colossus, believed to be the world's largest, was caught in February. They attract the sperm whales that feed on them.

The dead squid, measuring 3 feet across at its widest point and 26 feet from the tip of its body to the end of its tentacles, was found early Wednesday by a beachcomber at Ocean Beach on the island state of Tasmania's west coast, the museum said.

The squid was expected to be taken to the museum, where DNA and other scientific tests would be carried out before it is preserved and possibly put on public display.

For anyone thinking of a calamari feast, Walker-Smith said giant squid contain high levels of ammonia in their bodies as a buoyancy aid.

"It would not taste very nice at all," she said.

New Zealand fishermen netted a 1,100-pound, 33-foot-long squid in the Southern Ocean in February. It is widely believed to be the largest specimen of the rare and mysterious deep-water species Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, or colossal squid, ever caught.

Experts believe the creatures, which have long been one of the most mysterious denizens of the deep ocean, may grow even bigger—up to 46-feet long.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ksyrup (Post 1499169)

Here's a runner-up to the NZ Squid - merely a giant, not colossal:

Standard Aussie tactic, always trying to get one-up on us.

Guess that shows 'em who has the biggest squids then. That'll teach 'em.

kiwiLB57