By Beauty Damned

Squid

Note: This entry has been modified from its original version.

I have a total fascination with the Ocean. Water in general, actually. When I was four, I saw the ocean for the first time when we moved to California, and I'll never forget the connection I made. A lifelong love for the beach and everything that comes with it. Rocks, sand, cliffs, waves, the sounds, the smells, the constant rythm, the endless expanse, the curve of the horizon, the mystery of what's out there. I love the feeling of beach towns. Laid back, happy go lucky, an all around feeling of content (until tsunamis, mudslides, hurricanes and monsoons enter the picture). I think that a sense of awe about what the ocean holds is something most people develop in childhood and the mystery only seems greater the older you get. I always loved the idea of there being a whole other world beneath the sea where things happen with as much significance as those things that occur on land. The idea of a hidden Atlantis and other lost treasures is something that captivates many people to this day, while the full scope of marine life is one of the greatest mysteries of all. No doubt, as great as the mysteries of outerspace. I love knowing that these incredible beings still inhabit the waters of Earth. Great gigantic tortoises and turtles, massive whales, giant squids...I love knowing that there is intelligent life down there and that there are places that humans can't yet reach (though I imagine those places are desperately few).

It makes me very sad that the ocean is treated as a dumping ground for chemicals, waste, oil spills and general pollution. Humans are such destroyers. We can't seem to help ourselves. When I think about the abuse that we heap on our oceans, it makes me ashamed of all the times in my life that I have littered or not done my part as a human being to respect the earth that I tread on a daily basis.

I am by no means an exemplary environmentalist. (My friend Darcie on the other hand, is an excellent environmentalist and I aspire to be more like her). We could all do more to preserve the environment. And we could all stand to care a little more about the life that exists beneath the surface of the water which envelopes most of the earth. It's true that it's not the first natural inclination of humans to be conscientious about waste or environmental preservation, but we do want to make sure this earth will be viable for future generations, and help other species to continue to exist as well.

I read this article in reuters today that was a little depressing to me (aren't ya glad I'm gonna share it with you ;o)?:

Giant Squids Wash Ashore

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hundreds of jumbo squid washed up dead over the last two days in one of southern California's most popular beach communities, authorities said on Thursday.

The Newport Beach Fire Department said some 500 squid, measuring roughly five feet and weighing about 10 to 15 pounds each, added to the tons of debris already littering local beaches after recent heavy rains.

"I think that they were probably chasing some bait or some prey at high tide and just swam too close to the beach," said Eric Bauer, a lifeguard captain with the fire department in the coastal city 45 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

Southern California was battered by heavy storms in late December and early January, dumping more rain in the space of a few days than the area usually gets in a year. City officials said the water locally was dirtier than usual at the moment, in part because of the storms.

Bauer said regular squid sightings were not uncommon but added the jumbos looked "extra-terrestrial."

Newport Beach's squid problem is the latest in a string of cases of the sea creatures washing up dead on Pacific beaches. More than 1,000 were found in southwest Washington state last October and they inundated the San Diego area in mid-2002.

© Reuters 2005

I sure hope this is a natural occurence and that there's not a more worrisome reason why they are dropping dead in droves...I assume it is just a result of ecological phenomenon?