Big squid washing up on Oregon’s beaches

PORTLAND (AP) – Dozens of large squid are reportedly washing up dead on the central Oregon coast near Heceta Head.

Oregon State Parks and Recreation spokesman Chris Havel said his office is hearing reports of dozens of what are probably Humboldt squid. He says they’re typically much more common in warmer waters around Santa Cruz, Calif.

Humboldt squid have also showed up recently in waters off the Washington coast and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca between Washington state and British Columbia’s Vancouver Island. Commercial fishermen in the strait complained the giant squid were grabbing the salmon right off their hooks. The Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife has allowed the fishermen to sell the squid they accidentally catch as they troll for salmon.

NOAA oceanographer Kent Baltz from Santa Cruz said earlier that a “strong hypothesis” for why the squid have moved north is that the ocean water is warmer than usual.