Outdoors
Notebook: Humboldt squid make rare appearance here

By Mark Yuasa
Seattle Times staff reporter

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES George Pepper of Lynnwood holds a giant Humboldt squid he caught off La Push this month while salmon fishing.

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A rarely seen school of jumbo-sized squid has been lurking off the Pacific Northwest coast.

The mysterious Humboldt squid, unlike their tiny cousins who flood into Elliott Bay every winter, have appeared in sport-fishing catches this summer from Ilwaco to Vancouver Island.

"It is really a fluke thing to see them, and it's the first time I know of in about 40 years that they've been seen off the coast," said Greg Bargmann, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist. "They are typically found off Mexico and southern California, and rarely come up as far as southern Oregon."

The strong and voracious squid are named for their habitat in the warm Humboldt current along the South American coast. They have of diet of small fish like anchovies, herring, sardines and even salmon, and are also known to prey on their own.

Bargmann said most being found along Washington's coast weighed 5 to 15 pounds, and he has heard word of a 20-pounder. Some caught off the Mexican and South American coast have weighed in excess of 80 pounds.

"They started showing up in late August about 30 miles offshore mixed in with schools of albacore, and the water out there was 67 degrees and some say they could have come up north with a cell of warm water," Bargmann said.

The giant squids then started moving closer into the coastal shorelines in early September, and sport anglers were hooking them off the docks at Westport, and some were showing up dead on beaches.

"They have disappeared lately though, and the ones we've seen in the shallow (water areas) have been lethargic," Bargmann said.

During the La Push Last Chance Fishing Derby held Oct. 2-3, George Pepper of Lynnwood had a hands-on encounter with a giant Humboldt. While fishing just south of La Push on northern Olympic coast near the Rock Needles in about 100 feet of water, Pepper hooked what he thought was the trophy king salmon of a lifetime.

"I thought I got my trophy salmon when it took my herring," Pepper said. "You can't believe how strong it fights, and it almost spooled all my line."
 
In fact, Pepper and another fishing companion had hooked two Humboldt squids at the same time.

This summer, state Fish and Wildlife enacted a new ruling that allows anglers to keep one single squid daily in excess of 10 pounds in all marine waters or, as before, 10 pounds (or five quarts) of smaller squid in the round.

Hunting seasons open

This weekend highlights the opening of deer and waterfowl hunting, with nearly 170,000 hunters expected to be out in the field, based on state Fish and Wildlife figures from last year.

Deer herds statewide are generally healthy, and the outlook is good for a hunting season similar to last year, when 26 percent of deer hunters statewide took home a buck.

On the other hand, waterfowl hunting will be good in some places and lousy in others.

Federal biologists are predicting the number of migratory ducks will be down this year, and drought conditions in Eastern Washington will also be a major factor.

Most waterfowl hunting will be on larger waterways since smaller ponds and potholes are dry.

Good new for Puget Sound region duck hunters who hunt in the Island Unit or bay fronts of the Skagit Wildlife Area. The boat launch has reopened and provides excellent access to areas.

Greg Shirato, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist, sees some good, early-season duck hunting ahead along the coast.

"There's a lot of ducks on Grays Harbor right now, and people are saying their numbers are looking better than they have for years," Shirato said.

Few birds have moved inland so Shirato says to focus your attention on the saltwater bays and waterfronts.

In Eastern Washington, duck hunting will be down because of poor nesting conditions in southern Alberta and British Columbia.

"Compared to last year, it looks like we could be down about 11 percent on all ducks, and about 7 percent on mallards alone," said Ron Friesz, a state Fish and Wildlife waterfowl biologist.

Deer hunting is expected to get off to a good start thanks in part to wet weather last month.

"The leaves are wet and many are off the trees," said Jack Smith, a state Fish and Wildlife wildlife manager. "Those conditions improve visibility, and also reduce a deer's ability to hear you before you see it."

The Vail Game Management Unit is always a consistent producer in Western Washington. Other good locales are Olympic, Willapa Hills, Satsop, Wynoochee, Capitol Forest and Nemah units.

Hunting access closures within a 12-mile radius of Mount St. Helens remain in effect. For U.S. Forest Service lands go to www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation/current-conditions/special.sthml. For Weyerhaeuser-owned timberlands and roads, call 866-636-6531, press 2. For state Natural Resources lands, go to www.dnr.wa.gov.

In Eastern Washington, the northeast mule deer buck harvest, which is mainly in Ferry County's GMU 101, has increased each year for the past three seasons, and the percentage of four-point or better bucks has increased 56 percent, from 47 percent in 2001.

"Mule deer fawn-doe ratios have been relatively good in the past few years, so we expect hunters to have at least similar success," said Steve Zender, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist.

In the southeast section, mule deer populations have declined slightly due to lower fawn production and survival.

The popular Okanogan area should offer decent deer hunting, thanks in part to the wet weather.

Notes

• The Seattle Poggie Fishing Club meeting is 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Seattle City Light Building, 97th St. N. and Stone Ave. N. Tony Floor, director of fishing affairs for Northwest Marine Trade Association, will speak. Details: 425-742-7948 or www.seattlepoggies.com.

• The Washington Trails Association photo contest titled the Northwest Exposure is accepting submissions through Oct. 31. The photo contest has four categories: people in the wild, Washington landscapes, flora and fauna and offbeat outdoors. Details: 206-625-1367 or www.wta.org.

• The Tahoma Audubon Society is offering a once-a-week beginning birder's class starting Oct. 25, from 6:45-9 p.m. at the Tacoma Nature Center. Cost is $30 for Audubon members, and $50 for non-members. There will also be two weekend three-hour field trips, which will be finalized at the first class meeting. Details: 253-565-9278.

• The Wild Steelhead Coalition banquet and auction is 6 p.m. Saturday at the Bellevue Sheraton Hotel. Cost is $35. Details: 425-451-3133.

Mark Yuasa: 206-464-8780 or myuasa@seattletimes.com