[color="blue"][color="purple"]Giant squid 'taking over world'[/color]
By Simon Benson [/color]
[color="gray"]December 3, 2004[/color]
[url="http://www.news.com.au"]http://www.news.com.au[/url]
Here are some interesting extracts from the article -
According to scientists, squid have overtaken humans in terms of total bio-mass.
The reason has been put down to overfishing of other species and climate change.
A report in the Australian science journal, Australasian Science, said marine researchers are now in universal agreement that cephalopods have been given an advantage not available to any other sea creature.
Their growth rates also seem to be increasing as is their body size.
Overfishing of some fish species has taken away competition for the squid in finding food resources.
The warming of waters due to climate change have also allowed squid to expand their populations.
Dr George Jackson from the Institute of Antarctic and Southern Ocean studies in Tasmania said squid thrived during environmental disasters such as global warming.
"This trend has been suggested to be due both to the removal of cephalopod predators such as toothed whales and tuna and an increase of cephalopods due to removal of finfish competitors,'' said Dr Jackson.
The Food and Agricultural Organisation of the UN supports the theory claiming squid landings have been increasing over the past 25 years at greater rates than fish.
[url="http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0%2C4057%2C4811363^13762%2C00.html"]Link to Full Article[/url]
By Simon Benson [/color]
[color="gray"]December 3, 2004[/color]
[url="http://www.news.com.au"]http://www.news.com.au[/url]
Here are some interesting extracts from the article -
According to scientists, squid have overtaken humans in terms of total bio-mass.
The reason has been put down to overfishing of other species and climate change.
A report in the Australian science journal, Australasian Science, said marine researchers are now in universal agreement that cephalopods have been given an advantage not available to any other sea creature.
Their growth rates also seem to be increasing as is their body size.
Overfishing of some fish species has taken away competition for the squid in finding food resources.
The warming of waters due to climate change have also allowed squid to expand their populations.
Dr George Jackson from the Institute of Antarctic and Southern Ocean studies in Tasmania said squid thrived during environmental disasters such as global warming.
"This trend has been suggested to be due both to the removal of cephalopod predators such as toothed whales and tuna and an increase of cephalopods due to removal of finfish competitors,'' said Dr Jackson.
The Food and Agricultural Organisation of the UN supports the theory claiming squid landings have been increasing over the past 25 years at greater rates than fish.
[url="http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0%2C4057%2C4811363^13762%2C00.html"]Link to Full Article[/url]