Specieswatch: why the squid game in UK needs new rules

Taking steps to avoid overfishing will help European squid continue to thrive in UK's warming watersThe European squid, Loligo vulgaris, is becoming an increasingly important UK commercial catch, but it has no protection from overfishing. A species more familiar in Mediterranean cooking, it is becoming a more valuable catch as the UK's seas warm. The government is running a consultation on how to regulate the fishery, along with that of other newer warm-water species thriving in British waters, such as the red mullet and the gurnard.Squid have large brains and can move at up to 20mph by firing a jet of water from inside their bodies to escape predators. They have six arms and two longer tentacles, the latter used to catch prey, mostly small fish and shrimps, but they eat almost anything, including each other when food supplies are short. Continue reading...