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Fri 19 Sep, 2003 12:19 pm
Navy Shocks Blamed for Giant Squid Deaths
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MADRID (Reuters) - Shockwaves from scientific tests carried out by the Spanish navy have killed four giant squid -- one the length of a bus -- off Spain's coast in recent days, the head of a marine protection agency says.
"The navy ship the Hesperides is working in the area...and the shock waves (are the cause of death)," Luis Laria, president of marine protection agency CEPESMA, said Thursday.
The giant squid, mythologized as the monster that attacked Captain Nemo's Nautilus in the Jules Verne adventure "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," is the world's largest invertebrate and lives at depths of up to 6,500 feet.
Josep Gallard, a leading scientist working on the ship, denied techniques used to study the ocean floor were harmful.
"This hypothesis is far from being proven," Gallard told Reuters from on board the Hesperides. "We use this technique because of its minimal environmental impact...the changes in pressure are very slight."
In the last few days three giant squid, creatures that are still largely a mystery to scientists, have washed up on Spain's northern Asturias coast and a fourth was still floating offshore Thursday, Laria said. One was 12 yards long.
In a 'Jackass' inspired moment, I propose a giant pot of oil, and plenty of flour.....we will fry up huge calamari rings, and when it is crispy and hot, a giant calamari hula contest will be held! After everyone gets over the burns, we'll divvy it up and eat, maybe with a little Vinho Verde.
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