Empress Pearl skipper Alec Harvey could not believe his eyes.
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In his vessel was the biggest squid he had ever seen, caught in 380m of water off the West Coast recently.
The South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association’s latest newsletter reports the squid was estimated to weigh between 80 to 100 kilograms and was up to about 3 metres long.
The SETFIA report said “based mostly on its size Dr Julian Finn from the Melbourne Museum has tentatively identified the squid as being a ‘giant squid’ (Architeuthis dux)”.
According to the SETFIA report debate exists around whether different species of giant squid exist within the genus Architeuthis. Some literature reported eight species and some one specie. Some accounts said the maximum size reported was 14 metres long.
SETFIA reports “giant squid have the largest eyes of any living creature and can be up to 27cm in diameter. They feed on deepsea fish and other squids. They are believed to be solitary hunters, as only individual giant squid have been caught in fishing nets.”
Tales of giant squid have been common among mariners since ancient times. Whales are one of the giant squid’s few predators.
