A New Zealand fishing boat, the San Aspiring, caught the colossal squid in February 2007, in the Antarctic waters of the Ross Sea. The crew were fishing with longlines – single lines with many baited hooks – for a large species of fish, the Antarctic toothfish. But on one line they caught more than they bargained for! There was a toothfish on the line, but eating the fish was a colossal squid – nearly 500 kg of it.
It was only just alive, and the crew thought it would almost certainly die if they released it. They lowered a cargo net, manoeuvred the squid into it, and managed to get it on board and into the ship’s freezer. The fishing company, Sanford Limited, stored the colossal squid in its Timaru cool store, then the Ministry of Fisheries gifted this extraordinarily rare find to Te Papa. At present it is stored in a walk-in freezer in the museum’s research laboratories.
It is believed to be the first complete adult colossal squid ever landed. It joins Te Papa’s other colossal squid, a young female caught in 2003. When the female was caught, it was the largest recorded specimen, at 5.4 metres long. It is stored in the research collections at Te Papa.
its a intresting news that i've been following this 2 to 3 days. they even has a webcam to record down the whole of the thawing process. nice haha keep on fllowing then.....
