However, no one has tested the effects of lower levels of the chemical on squid.
Potential cause?
But new evidence points to the red tide as at least one cause of the mass strandings. While most sea life follows daily tidal or lunar cycles, the mass deaths seem to be happening every three weeks. That led one of Gilly's graduate students, R. Russell Williams, to see if something in the environment was leading them astray.
"He was fixated in finding some kind of environmental signal," Gilly said.
Russell found that red tides occurred every three weeks, around the same time as the squid strandings, suggesting a link, Gilly said.
While past researchers have only found trace levels of the toxic red-tide chemical in stranded squid, low doses of domoic could essentially be making the squid drunk. Combined with navigating unfamiliar waters, that could cause the mass die-offs.
"They could be tipped over the edge by something like domoic acid that might cloud their judgment," Gilly said.
This isn't the first time Gilly and his colleagues have been led on a CSI-like hunt for Humboldt squid. In 2011, they figured out why the elusive jumbo squid left their usual feeding grounds off the Baja California coast in the winter of 2009 to 2010. Apparently, the squid had moved north, following their prey, small, bioluminescent fish called lantern fish, which had also moved north due to El Niño weather patterns.
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6 Comments
Add CommentBut if it's just drunken, erratic behavior, why is it only toward the beach? Seems they would need to also see the squid swimming out to sea, or straight down, or other random behavior to attribute intoxicated disorientation.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRandoo
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe squids are heading to Taco bell like most drunks do
Suicidal squid are becoming a major problem. The root cause of their erratic behavior is not environmental as the "Henny Penny" like alarmists, so common in our scientific community, would have you believe. Squid behavior is governed by genetics. It only take one bad seed to ultimately spoil the whole squid population. We, as responsible stewards of this planet, should study the squid phenomena and apply those lessons where we have some control - the human population. Random and careless breeding practices are destroying our society and will ultimately destroy our planet.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHaving seen the effects of domoic acid on sea lions I think this is a very likely cause for the squids going aground. Escaping predators, or thinking they're escaping predators could be part of this.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe sea lions bob back and forth between going into the water or further out of the water. When somebody approached them often went straight for the water. When I was walking my dogs I would avoid them when they're on the beach but some people think they're "helping".
littleredtop That 'selective breeding' has been tried by humans. Nazi Germany and Master Race come to mind.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thislittleredtop, would you care to elaborate? Which breeding practices are you referring to? I suppose you have some plan where you, or like minded people, are in charge of a more "refined" human breeding program to weed out the undesirables. Perhaps people will have to undergo genetic testing and behavioral analysis and those deemed unfit to breed would be sterilized. An absolutely sickening idea.
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