New Zealander Fishermen capture a Colossal Squid!

[Justin24]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070222/ap_on_fe_st/new_zealand_colossal_squid_4

New Zealand fishermen catch rare squid By RAY LILLEY, Associated Press Writer
Thu Feb 22, 7:41 AM ET

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A fishing crew has caught a colossal squid that could weigh a half-ton and prove to be the biggest specimen ever landed, a fisheries official said Thursday.

The squid, weighing an estimated 990 lbs and about 39 feet long, took two hours to land in Antarctic waters, New Zealand Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said.

The fishermen were catching Patagonian toothfish, sold under the name Chilean sea bass, south of New Zealand "and the squid was eating a hooked toothfish when it was hauled from the deep," Anderton said.

The fishing crew and a fisheries official on board their ship estimated the length and weight of the squid: Detailed, official measurements have not been made. The date when the colossus was caught also was not disclosed.

Colossal squid, known by the scientific name Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, are estimated to grow up to 46 feet long and have long been one of the most mysterious creatures of the deep ocean.

If original estimates are correct, the squid would be 330 pounds heavier than the next biggest specimen ever found.

"I can assure you that this is going to draw phenomenal interest. It is truly amazing," said Dr. Steve O'Shea, a squid expert at the Auckland University of Technology. If calamari rings were made from the squid they would be the size of tractor tires, he added.

Colossal squid can descend to 6,500 feet and are extremely active, aggressive hunters, he said.

The frozen squid will be transported to New Zealand's national museum, Te Papa, in the capital, Wellington, to be preserved for scientific study.

Marine scientists "will be very interested in this amazing creature as it adds immeasurably to our understanding of the marine environment," Anderton said.

Colossal squid are found in Antarctic waters and are not related to giant squid found round the coast of New Zealand. Giant squid grow up to 39 feet long, but are not as heavy as colossal squid.

 

[Screwtape2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossal_squid

Deep Sea Gigantism

 

[Babydoll]

Mmmmmm, calamari

 

[Babydoll]

But why catch it though? They were fishing for something else and just caught this coz it was big? As someone who believes in animal rights, that's not right, in my opinion. Why didn't they let it be???

 

[JCOSTER]

Damn that is sooooo ugly.

 

[Babydoll]

So they just catch it as it was swimming along and kill it for research purposes??? That's messed up.

 

[Vincent Vega]

I think they didn't want to catch it at all.
But you can't see what bites down there as it is a few hundreds to thousands of meters down the water.

These animals will rarely survive because they go up too fast which means their bodies can't react in order to cope with the different pressure, just like a diver who dives up too fast.

So when it's up there it's maybe too late.

On the other hand, they are fishermen, and something as collossal as this could be worth alot of money, which pays their living.

 

[Bono's Betty]

They should have let it go if the could have

 

[DaveC]

They were fishing for toothfish. They hooked a toothfish, and as they were bringing it in, the squid tried to eat the fish and ended up coming along with it.

They probably couldn't tell what happened until it was at the surface, and I seriously doubt it's as simple as cutting the line to let go of a Colossal Squid.

 

[LyricalDrug]

"Tractor tire sized calamari"

 

[Bono's Betty]

"Tractor tire sized calamari"

 

[GibsonGirl]

Damn, that's a lot of calamari. Whip out the tartar sauce.

 

[Sleep Over Jack]

That is amazing, the sheer bulk of it is surreal. What is scary is that there are the stories of squid that dwarf even this monster..