Squid
- llex
Description:
The
squid has a long body with the shape of a tube. It has a fin in its
end and tentacles in its head, with big eyes. It presents two long
tentacles and eight that are shorter. The mouth is in the center of
the ring of tentacles and has a cartilaginous beak. Sexual
dimorphism and internal fecundation occurs in squids. Their color is
brown in general, but it changes due to the presence of
cromatophores in their skin, from light brown to dark brown with
silver flashes. The average length of the mantle cavity is 28 cm.
Feeding
habits:
Its
feeding habits are absolutely pelagic, preferably it eats bony fish
such as anchovies, juveniles of hakes and lantern fishes;
cannibalism does also exist. Crustaceans are a minor part of its
diet.
economic
importance:
Although
it is the most abundant species of cephalopod in the South-West
Atlantic and the one mostly captured in the Common Fishing Zone
[Zona Común de Pesca], Uruguay has been catching them only as by
– catch fauna while the fishing of hakes takes place.
fishing
methods:
Squids
are captured with diverse fishing gears. The specific one is the
jigging, which gives the best results and with which the best
quality of the product is obtained. Among the trawl nets, semi-pelagic
trawl nets that cover a great vertical range and the bottom trawl
nets can be distinguished.
