page_title: Humboldt squid
section_title: Fishing
hierarchical_section_title: Humboldt squid / Fishing
caption_attribution_description: English: A 52lb Humboldt squid caught off of the Southern California coast.
context_page_description: The Humboldt squid, also known as jumbo squid, jumbo flying squid, pota, or diablo rojo, is a large, predatory squid living in the waters of the Humboldt Current in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is the only species of the genus Dosidicus of the subfamily Ommastrephinae, family Ommastrephidae.
  Humboldt squid typically reach a mantle length of 1.5 m. They have a reputation for aggression towards humans, though this behavior may possibly only be manifested during feeding times. Like other members of the subfamily Ommastrephinae, they possess bioluminescent photophores and are capable of quickly changing body coloration. They notably rapidly flash red and white while hunting, earning them the name diablo rojo among fishermen. These chromatophores may rapidly cycle through colors other than red and white, flashing too quickly for the human eye to see the transitions. They have a relatively short lifespan of just 1-2 years.
  They are most commonly found at depths of 200 to 700 m, from Tierra del Fuego to California. This species is spreading north into the waters of the Pacific Northwest, in Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska.
context_section_description: Commercially, this species has been caught to serve the European community market (mainly Spain, Italy, France, and Ireland), Russia, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and increasingly North and South American markets.
  Fishermen catch squid at night. Lights from the fishing boats reflect brightly on the plankton, which lure the squid to the surface to feed. Since the 1990s, the most important areas for landings of Humboldt squid are Chile, Mexico, and Peru (122–297, 53–66, and 291–435 thousand tonnes, respectively, in the period 2005–2007).
  Humboldt squid are known for their speed in feasting on hooked fish, sharks, and squid, even from their own species and shoal. Numerous accounts have the squid attacking fishermen and divers in the area. Their coloring and aggressive reputation have earned them the nickname diablos rojos (red devils) from fishermen off the coast of Mexico, as they flash red and white when struggling with the fishermen.
caption: A 24-kilogram (52 lb) specimen caught off the southern Californian coast displays deep-red chromatophoric coloring.
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