[NatureNS] Peale's Squid sea-mops of eggs at Evangeline Beach (long)

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Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2012 06:43:36 -0400 (EDT)
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Lots of squid in the cove right now, some up to 18  inches.
Peter Stow
Hubbards
 
 
In a message dated 12/07/2012 10:42:00 P.M. Atlantic Daylight Time,  
hebdaaj@gov.ns.ca writes:

Hi Jim  

Found some at the weir at Carr's Brook  on the 25th of June, 5  Islands 
Park (by the Old wife)  7th of July and Burntcoat Head on the  10th of July.  
Nothing like the masses laid in 1979 and 1980, but still  impressive  "egg 
mops".  Some small squid in some of teh tide pools,  but nothing over about 15 
cm mantle  lengths.

Andrew


>>> "James W. Wolford"  <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> 07/12/12 10:05 PM >>>
JULY 12, 2012  - Yesterday Roy Bishop sent me two photos of a huge  
mass of eggs  (egg-mops) from oodles of female Peale's or Shortfin  
Squids, Loligo  pealei (now named Longfin Inshore Squid (Doryteuthis   
pealeii)(according to a Wikipedia  search of "Loligo") on  Evangeline  
Beach at high-tide line not far from his cottage, which  is east of  
the viewing platform and new stairs.

Thus today in  early afternoon (tide low) I descended the new public  
stairs (very  nice and sturdy and should last for many years) to the  
upper beach  and walked eastward, toward Boot Island.  In a very short  
time  I began discovering lots of flattened thick "pancakes" of   
sediment-encrusted batches of "sea-mops" (good description) of the   
squid eggs.  Batches were of variable sizes, and eventually,  just  
past Roy's stairs and cottage, found a large batch among some  rocks,  
quite possibly some of the big batch photographed by Roy  yesterday.   
It looked to my eye like the various batches of  eggs represented  
different stages of development, and some that Roy  noticed yesterday  
were clearly close to hatching, since they showed  the paired dark eyes.

I very fondly recall, back in my teaching days,  finding some Peale's  
Squid eggs that were just hatching, and the  little hatchlings were  
incredibly cute and well-developed, with the  eyes, two tentacles or  
arms, pigment cells that were big and  coloured and actively  
condensing and expanding, functional fins on  the mantle, and jet- 
propulsion mechanisms intact, so that the squidlets  were moving in  
the water sort-of like "water fleas" (Daphnia,  Cladocerans,  
crustaceans).  Such were my nostalgic memories,  which may not be  
truly realistic, since it was decades ago that I  last observed this,  
with eggs probably from Kingsport?

I'm  pretty sure I recall somebody finding these eggs at Scots' Bay too?

I  got out Merritt Gibson's book, "Seashores of the Maritimes" (2003,   
Nimbus Publishing), and he wrote of the mops of eggs:

"...If  collected, they will continue to grow in chilled and fresh   
seawater.  Examine several clusters with a hand lens.  The  cells  
divide quickly and, in about 3 days, completely overgrow the  yolk.   
Eyes appear when the embryos are about 3.5 days old,  arms at about  
5.5 days, and the mantle cylinder at 6.5 days.   Young larvae pulsate,  
the older ones spin around within the egg  capsules, the heart starts  
beating, and the red and yellow spots  appear at about the same time  
as do the fins.  The squid  hatches at day 20 in water at 16 to 18  
degrees C...."

Merritt  did a lab study of development rates at different  
temperatures  decades ago, and somewhere in my files I still have that  
manuscript  (I think).

Back on June 15, 2012, Gerry Cudmore photographed a much  smaller  
quantity of sea-mops of egg-fingers of Peale's Squids  further north  
between Delhaven and Blomidon on the Minas Basin  beach.

Peale's Squid or the Long-finned Squid is a relatively  warm-water  
squid, existing as adults mainly south of Cape Cod, I  think, although  
the Wikipedia has them as far north as Newfoundland  (?).  The squids  
on the Squid-Jigging Ground of Newfoundland  are Boreal Squids, Illex  
illecebrosus, alias Short-finned or  Shortfin Squids.

For people who inquire off the list, I can provide Roy  Bishop's  
photographs of the egg-clusters at Evangeline Beach  yesterday.

Cheers from Jim in  Wolfville.


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<DIV><FONT size=3D4>Lots of squid in the cove right now, some up to 18=20
inches.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D4>Peter Stow</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D4>Hubbards</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 12/07/2012 10:42:00 P.M. Atlantic Daylight Time,=20
hebdaaj@gov.ns.ca writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px">=
<FONT=20
  style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=3D#000000 size=3D2 face=3DA=
rial>Hi Jim=20
  <BR><BR>Found some at the weir at Carr's Brook&nbsp; on the 25th of June,=
 5=20
  Islands Park (by the Old wife)&nbsp; 7th of July and Burntcoat Head on th=
e=20
  10th of July.&nbsp; Nothing like the masses laid in 1979 and 1980, but st=
ill=20
  impressive&nbsp; "egg mops".&nbsp; Some small squid in some of teh tide p=
ools,=20
  but nothing over about 15 cm mantle=20
  lengths.<BR><BR>Andrew<BR><BR><BR>&gt;&gt;&gt; "James W. Wolford"=20
  &lt;jimwolford@eastlink.ca&gt; 07/12/12 10:05 PM &gt;&gt;&gt;<BR>JULY 12,=
 2012=20
  - Yesterday Roy Bishop sent me two photos of a huge&nbsp; <BR>mass of egg=
s=20
  (egg-mops) from oodles of female Peale's or Shortfin&nbsp; <BR>Squids, Lo=
ligo=20
  pealei (now named Longfin Inshore Squid (Doryteuthis&nbsp;=20
  <BR>pealeii)(according to a Wikipedia&nbsp; search of "Loligo") on=20
  Evangeline&nbsp; <BR>Beach at high-tide line not far from his cottage, wh=
ich=20
  is east of&nbsp; <BR>the viewing platform and new stairs.<BR><BR>Thus tod=
ay in=20
  early afternoon (tide low) I descended the new public&nbsp; <BR>stairs (v=
ery=20
  nice and sturdy and should last for many years) to the&nbsp; <BR>upper be=
ach=20
  and walked eastward, toward Boot Island.&nbsp; In a very short&nbsp; <BR>=
time=20
  I began discovering lots of flattened thick "pancakes" of&nbsp;=20
  <BR>sediment-encrusted batches of "sea-mops" (good description) of the&nb=
sp;=20
  <BR>squid eggs.&nbsp; Batches were of variable sizes, and eventually,=20
  just&nbsp;