Only a few decades ago people
did not consider calamari worth eating and they were caught
mainly for fishing bait or discarding as unwanted by catch, they
are now considered excellent eating.
Calamari was almost an unknown
as a culinary delight in our area of the world until European
migrants settled around Geelong in the 1940s'. Now its just
about on every bistro menu in town.
Calamari fishing is now a very
popular recreational activity, Calamari are caught from jetties,
piers and boats using baited or artificial squid jigs as lures
on the end of hand lines or long bamboo poles.
Strict recreational bag limits
of ten squid (all species) per person per day applies in
Victorian waters. Each angler may use up to four lines at any
one time for squid, with a maximum of tow squid jigs attached to
each line.
There are catch limits and size limits
on most fish caught in Victorian waters. Please
check the regulations before setting out.
Calamari or Squid are aggressive and fast-moving predators,
attacking small fish and other mobile organisms. They are
voracious feeders and will eat large quantities of prey, if
available, in a short time.
The squid is a marine molluscs called cephalopods. This group
includes octopus, cuttlefish and nautilus.
Calamari have 10 arms rising from the head, eight of which
contain two rows of suckers.
The remaining pair are longer than the rest and only have a series
of large suckers on nudules at the
ends of the arms. Calamari can swim at great speed by jetting
out water from the mantle cavity, and when in danger they emit a
black ink to aid in their escape.
LOCAL FISHING
