Save Newport Real News in Newport Beach
Last week, I got a lot of questions about what was happening off 10th and Ocean in the late night for about 5 days straight. Boats out there were completely lit up and there were about a dozen of them camping out there all night. After asking around a bit, I got the word back of what it was: The first time in many years (depending on who you ask, between 3 and 10 years) that market squid had shown up in such a condensed fashion.
As a kicker, the price on the squid market is currently up 4-5x what it has been in recent years– big money!
As boater and Sea Tow Captain Konner C Boivin put it to me, “Those are all squid boats, hence those bright lights. The lights draw the squid to the surface. Then using dip nets and seine nets they capture them. Most the squid is frozen and sold in markets all over the world. Some is used for frozen bait and feed for local aquariums“
Local fisher Paul Rodriguez sent in this amazing video of the squid, showing just how many there actually were (warning: fisherman language): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPwUYQCDSA0&feature=youtu.be
We are experiencing a lot of unique events after coming out of an La Nino year, but perhaps the biggest news is where the ocean water temps are right now in the middle of the Pacific– they are HIGH. In fact, it’s looking like it could develop into an El Nino year– yes, seriously, back-to-back. I am no El Nino historian, but upon a very quick Google search, it does appear that this would be a unique event.
So brace yourselves for more delicious fishing– if it’s anything like the last couple of years, we are in for some lively fishing!
