A guide to laboratory use of the squid Loligo pealei

Abstract

From the Preface: Unfortunately, a guide like this one does not happen simply. It is the product of polite requests (at first polite, anyway) from colleagues, of mutual nagging, and of wives with persistant memories. What we are attempting to achieve with this contribution is a consolidation of many years of personal experience with squid into a source of practical information hopefully useful to the increasing number of people working with the squid. One does not undertake the task of preparing such a guide for a limited audience with unreserved enthusiasm. It always seems the same amount of work could produce something for a larger audience and therefore, hopefully, of greater significance. On the other hand when the hours and days spent on developing handling procedures, techniques, and "tricks of the squid trade" are considered it seems untenable not to pass this otherwise unpublishable data on in hope of saving others like pain and time. Therefore, what we have attempted to do is informally put together information that should prove useful to people interested in all aspects of squid biology. In this way we hope to make the laboratory utilization of the squid more efficient not only from the standpoint of the investigator and the collector but also for the future of the species Loligo pealei.