On Wednesday, a giant squid was caught off the coast of Japan. The rare capture was made by fisherman Shigenori Goto. Goto had been using a net to catch buri yellowtail when the squid became entangled. The squid died as Goto and crew members hauled it to the surface. Weighing about 330 pounds and measuring twelve feet in length, the squid is not the largest on record, but is still immense. The crew recorded the catch. The squid is now being studied at the Fisheries Ocean Research Institute in Niigata Prefecture.
Giant Squid: Myth and Reality
Giant squid are typically elusive creatures, lurking at depths of 300 feet below sea level and lower. As the giant creatures are typically far out in the deep sea, a capture is relatively rare. Giant squid have long been a subject of fear and myth, but it is rare that a giant squid actually surfaces to do any harm, so most of the tales and fears are unfounded. In 2012, Japanese scientists worked together with the Discovery Channel to film a giant squid in its natural habitat for the first time. The squid was persuaded toward an underwater camera with the use of glowing lures that resembled sea jellies.
Giant squid can grow up to 40 feet and weight as much a ton. In 2006, Japanese scientists hauled in a 24 foot squid and recorded it, making it the first live recording of the capture of a giant squid. While this mot current catch is more than likely going to be associated with the radiation leak from the Fukushima disaster, it is unclear as of yet if the radiation had any effect on the squid.