Difference Between Calamari And Squid?

[scifly]

This tends to be the problem with common names. No, the squid called calamari in Australia are not the same species as the squid in the Northern Hemisphere. Yes, they are very similar and probably in the same family. Basically squid come in 2 broad categories: the inshore or neritic species that form spawning aggregations and lay eggs on the bottom of the ocean (these are the typical broadfin calamari type); secondly you get the ocean squid that often do large scale migrations and are more of a deepwater species (these are the smaller finned arrow squid type). Cuttlefish are different again in that their "backbone" is much larger than in squid and consists of quite calcified material (used often in bird cages). Octopus are different again as are nautilus. The difference in market price may be due to the calamari being jig caught and the arrow squid being trawled. Generally, jig-caught squid is of a higher quality with less physical damage than trawl caught. Additionally unless trawls are of short duration and squid targeted, the squid can become squashed in the bottom of the codend of the net. Hope this clarifies some issues

Len