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The NewsRoom
Release: 4036
Date: September 21, 2009
MMS Study Positively Identifies Giant
Squid Presence in Gulf of Mexico
Field Work for
MMS Sperm Whale Prey Study Nets Giant Squid
NEW ORLEANS - During a recent
research cruise, a rare giant squid was captured in the Gulf of
Mexico. The research cruise was partially funded through an
interagency agreement between the Department of the Interior’s
Minerals Management Service (MMS) and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The 19.5 foot long, 103 pound
squid was caught at a water depth of more than 1,500 feet in a
special trawl net pulled by the NOAA vessel Gordon Gunter during a
pilot study for the MMS, “Sperm Whale Acoustic Prey Study.”
“I’m proud that the MMS environmental
studies program has again added important new data on the Gulf of
Mexico to the scientific body of knowledge,” said Liz Birnbaum, MMS
director.
The two-year, $550,000 MMS prey study
hopes to identify the species composition and biomass of squid and
fish that represent the feeding base for sperm whales in the Gulf of
Mexico.
“This is the first
time a giant squid has been captured during scientific research in
the Gulf of Mexico,” explained Dr.
Deborah Epperson, the MMS biologist responsible for this study.
Numerous MMS-sponsored studies
of sperm whale abundance, distribution, habitat, and response to
sound conducted since the 1990’s showed the need for more
information about their prey which consist mainly of squid and fish.
Photos of the squid were sent to
experts around the nation to confirm the specimen was indeed the
Architeuthis (Ar-chi-teu-this)
species. The giant squid is now at the Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History where it will be studied.
Additional field work
for the “Sperm Whale Acoustic Prey Study” is scheduled for early
2010. A survey to assess the relationship between sperm whales and
their prey based on lessons learned from this pilot study will be
conducted.
Media Contact:
Eileen Angelico
(504) 736-2595
Caryl Fagot
(504) 736-2590
MMS: Securing Ocean Energy & Economic Value for America
U.S. Department of the Interior
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Last Updated:
09/25/2009,
11:07 AM
Central Time
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