The villagers of Kampung Pantai Batu Rakit have been wading in shallow waters, scooping up squids by the buckets. Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Department's head said it was rare to find squid in shallow water. 'Squid are usually found in water about 10m deep. They don't move around much unless their habitat is changing.'
Squid Strike in Kuala Terengannu
From the ocean and into the pot
The New Paper 24 Apr 09;
VILLAGERS living along the coast of Kuala Terengannu have been going squid-crazy since last week.
The sea creatures have been spotted 'swarming' close to shore, reported New Straits Times.
Villagers of Kampung Pantai Batu Rakit have been eating squid for breakfast, lunch and dinner; deep-fried, stir-fried, grilled, buttered, breaded, curried, in sambal, and any other way they can think of, said the newspaper.
One resident, Mr Mohd Ridzwan Dullah, said: 'It's as if the squid from the South China Sea are begging to come out of the ocean and jump into our pots.'
He said this was the first time he is seeing such a phenomenon. Villagers have been wading in shallow waters, scooping up squids by the buckets.
Said Mr Mohd Ridzwan: 'I've even caught some by hand.' The lorry driver claimed he had caught about 100kg of squid.
And some villagers were enterprising.
Mr Aznan Yusoff said many villagers were earning extra money, selling the squid to passers-by or to wholesalers.
He said: 'We're catching more than we can eat or store in the refrigerator.
'We charge RM3 ($1.30) to RM5 a kilo for smaller squid and up to RM8 for the bigger ones.'
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Department's head said it was rare to find squid in shallow water.
'Squid are usually found in water about 10m deep. They don't move around much unless their habitat is changing.'
Foreign fishermen bite squid bait
The Star 24 Apr 09;
KUALA TERENGGANU: Foreign fishermen especially those from Thailand and Vietnam are lured by the abundance of squid in the coast off Terengganu, even if it means encroaching into Malaysian waters.
Luck ran out for them as their Thailand and Vietnamese registered vessels were detected by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency about 85 and 57 nautical miles from here, respectively.
In the first operation, the enforcement officers led by Lt Aidil Adzhar Saleh nabbed seven crew members including the helmsman during an operation at 7.15am.
On their way back to the jetty here, the officers chanced upon the Vietnamese boat where seven crew members were nabbed for the same offence. The fishermen told enforcement officers that they were willing to trespass into Malaysian waters after being captivated with the large quantity of squids.
Agency regional enforcement chief Commander Syed Mohd Fuzi Syed Hasan said all the fishermen were remanded.
