Everyone,

I've taken a different approach regarding the "SquidBase" concept hatched a week ago. It appears the comprehensive online list I had in mind already exists on Wikipedia. Rather than "recreating the wheel", it seems best for TONMO.com to defer to that list as the definitive source, and maintain discussion about these strandings here on TONMO.com. I've set up a dedicated page on this topic, accessible under the "More..." sub-menu. Here is the page:

List of Giant and Colossal Squid Strandings and Recovery

Thanks again to Archi for the heads-up on this resource!

Eeeek

Here are a few (VERY INCOMPLETE) that I have in electronic format; there's no way I'm going to even try and enter this information online (on Wiki); I wouldn't have a clue how to do so.

Location data for stranded and trawl-caught Architeuthis from New Zealand, 1954-2000 (I stopped compiling this information post 2000). One year I had 23 animals .... if only I'd been more organised!

1. 41°03.1’S, 170°42.4’E, 530m, 13/07/1999.
2. 41°05’S, 170°50’E, 526-452m, 31/07/1998.
3. 41°05’S, 170°52’E, 475m, 25/07/1984.
4. 41°11’S, 176°44’E, 1100-870m, 12/04/1984.
5. 41°21’S, 170°30’E, 464 ov. 521m, 16/08/1987.
6. 41°31’S, 170°34’E, 410-608m, 25/08/1987.
7. 41°31’S, 176°43’E, 360-485m, 03/05/1987.
8. 41°56’S, 170°26’E, 500m, 05/08/1999.
9. 41°59-42°10’S, 170°32-33’E, 405m, 29/07/1998.
10. 42°00’S, 170°30’E, 20/08/1998.
11. 42°03’S, 170°27’E, 450m, 18/07/1986.
12. 42°27.32’S, 170°28.10’E, 442m, 21/07/1999.
13. 42°31.32’S, 170°21.09’E, BT 11.5°C, 535m, 17/07/1999.
14. 42°31.9’S, 170°16.6’E, MFish SOP Trip 1247/7
15. 42°32.2’S, 170°24.1’E, 500-575m, 28/07/1998.
16. 42°33’S, 170°31’E, 460m, 15/07/1999.
17. 42°35’S, 170°23’E, 503m, 26/07/1987.
18. 42°35.41’S, 170°15.03’E, datNR, 400m.
19. 42°50.9'-49.8’S, 177°16.6-176°55.3’E, 489-475m, 13/03/1998.
20. 43°12’S, 178°20’W, 425m, 31/12/1995.
21. 43°12.3’S, 178°19.9’W, 425m, 31/12/1995.
22. 43°18.5-32.6’S, 174°10.5-17.7’E, 567m, 19/12/1998.
23. 43°24.31’S, 169°20.10’E, 305m, 01/12/1995.
24. 43°26’S, 176°23’E, 310m, -/02/1996.
25. 43°26.47’S, 176°23.17’E, 310m, 16/01/1996.
26. 43°28.35’S, 174°14’E, 515m, 14/05/1999.
27. 43°33’S, 174°18’E, 22/01/1999.
28. 43°38’S, 174°14’E, 506m, 09/05/1987.
29. 43°38’S, 174°43’E, 470m, 17/04/1986.
30. 43°43’S, 174°56’E, 480m, 08/09/1986.
31. 43°48.47’S, 174°47.46’E, 476m, 25/01/2000.
32. 43°48’S, 177°35’E, 514m, -/05/1994.
33. 43°51.34’S, 173°20-174°37’E, depNR, 07/01/1999.
34. 43°55’S, 176°50’E, 515m, -/05/1994.
35. 43°56.8-44°03.8’S, 175°51.6-30.1’E, 519-523m, 10/04/1998.
36. 44°00’S, 177°35’W, 500m, 09/04/1998.
37. 44°08.2-43°58.5’S, 175°20.3-174°45.5’E, 22/01/1999.
38. 44°09’S, 173°35’E, 312-356m, 26/02/1987.
39. 44°11.2’S, 178°15.7’W, 500m, 26/12/1998-09/02/1999.
40. 44°16.0’S, 179°16.7’W, 545m, 12/02/1999.
41. 44°20.5’S, 177°08.8’W, 504m, 27/01/1999.
42. 44°21.19’S, 175°05-174°34’E, 615m, 27/01/2000.
43. 46°18’S, 166°30’E, 365m, 24/09/1984.
44. 46°24’S, 166°23’E, 487m, 13/10/1987.
45. 46°31’S, 166°30’E, 550m, 05/11/1987.
46. 46°32’S, 166°11’E, 604m, 27/04/1986.
47. 47°04’S, 169°32’E, 310m, 06/06/1985.
48. 47°28’S, 169°35’E, 540m, 05/12/1987.
49. 47°29’S, 169°35’E, 540m, 26/11/1987.
50. 47°30’S, 169°19’E, 550m, 06/12/1987.
51. 47°32’S, 169°10’E, depNR, 04/11/1987.
52. 48°36.1-54.2’S, 166°15.2-24.4’E, 798m, 15/03/1999.
53. 48°49.55’S, 166°53-167°16’E, depNR, 16/03/1999.
54. 48°50.2’S, 167°12.3’E, depNR, 09/03/1999.
55. 50°50’S, 166°51’E, 296m, 31/03/1986.
56. 50°50’S, 166°55’E, 420m, 21/03/1996.
57. 51°00’S, 166°42’E, 495m, 25/12/1988.
58. 51°16’S, 166°52’E, 533m, 08/03/1984.
59. 51°18’S, 170°23’E, depNR, 02/09/1987.

I've gone through the first 10 entries and added the ones that were missing. However, there seems to be something wrong with the coordinates of #9. Am I right in thinking that the specimens with depth information listed were caught by trawl while the others were found washed ashore?

Thanks. Almost all of those are trawl-caught specimens. The problem is that sometimes you get excellent coordinates (start and stop positions and depths), and sometimes you do not (it depends on the fishermen/source in question, and fishermen generally don't like people knowing where they have been fishing). Also, several specimens have been held in freezers in fishing company warehouses, and fishing companies have lost track of when they were caught by the time I received them; in such instances you'll see a range of dates (month x to z). Sometimes no data was forthcoming at all, or localised as, for example, 'West Coast South Island hoki spawning grounds'. Beach cast specimens are quite uncommon here; the only 'beached' specimens are those that have been discarded by trawler and then left to float ashore.

Very neat.