Eric's market Adventure(s) is a thread which will be used to identify cephs, fish and other cute fishy animals that shoe up in HK's wet markets:

I need identifications on 2 bob tail squids!
Oh and I released a octo near the harbor while a rather mean looking fishing boat was about to dock...they had nets ready to get my octo so that they can use it as bait for catching large groupers. Fortunatly, the octo went into the water quicker than I expected and sprayed the evil fisherman with ink as a final farewell...
Pics beloew are the same squid and will be refered to be as Squid 1.

Squid 2

overview of both of them:

Q:I have heard that live squid is very hard to keep, but I see them on the Atoll Reef Aquarium display, would you be so kind to tell me do you change a new batch or you have a secret way of keeping them?

A:Dear Eric,

Thank you for your email and interest in our aquarium animals.

Our sources of the squid on display including :-
1) Captive breeding
2) Buying squid from local fisherman
3) Collecting from the field

The so-called secret is right food and suitable environment --- Live Mysis anddarkened environment of the holding tank in order to prevent the new born from colliding with the surrounding.

Q:I would also like to know how long the squid would survive in the water tank. Also, which species do you display, or do you display random species you could find? Do the squid feed on live Mysis all their lives or do they change their diet as they grow up?

A:Life span varies amongst different species. With Sepiotenthis lessoniana which we keep, breed and display in exhibit, life span is around a year or less in captivity. Apart from Mysis, we vary their diets and feed different kinds of shrimps and fishes according to their needs as they grow.
Hope the above information helps.

The above is from another thread about Sepiotenthis lessoniana .

evil fisherman with ink as a final farewell...



How poetic! haha! :squidaut:

um....I never thought of it that way...

help with the identifications please!

P.S I still have the specimens in the freezer!

P.S I still have the specimens in the freezer!

You are more like Steve O than you knew!

Hi Chrono,

I've had a look at Mark Norman's 'Cephalopods of the World' guide which states that many of the Bobtail Squids (Sepiolidae) are only identifiable by specific arm and sucker modifications in the males, females being even harder to identify. I don't think your pictures, great as they are, are detailed enough in such diagnostic features for anyone to attain a positive ID. There are 15 genera and over 50 species of Bobtail to plough through to find them.

I'd guess that that your squids are possibly some species of Euprymna, but are NOT Heteroteuthis or Rossia as both of those have heads that are not fused to the mantle, unlike your specimens.

We really need Steve for this one!

Phil

I wonder where he is?

Eric, have you got access to any formalin and baking soda?

Eric, have you got access to any formalin and baking soda?

Are you thinking what I think you're thinking? :sly:

I can ask my teachers....they ought to give it to me since my head of science is might be interested in cephs! :grin:


Baking soda...hm....I think I have some in the cupboard...what do you want with baking soda and the other formalin thingamabob?

I can always go to my neigbour's with a cup and ask them for a cup of baking soda, since more than 300 poeple live in my apartment.

You're right, Eric, baking soda should be easy to get. Formalin may be less common. Ask your chemist. It's used to preserve specimens. Greg, can Shanlyn tell us if formalin is used to preserve humans before funerals?

Melissa

hm...humans? Where? I don't see any humans, do you? :lol:

Ok, Head of Science says that I should note a few things befor ebuying planes tickets for squids:

1) Is it really neccsary to send them to NZ to Dr. SOS

2) Will it break any custom's rules on sending these things

2) Formalin is extremly smelly, and I, Head of Sci. and the school don't have the proper certificates to give, or buy formalin.

3) Is it really neccsary to use formalin

4) How much would it cost.

5) Is the whole thing really neccsary.


Could anyone please answer the question above, please?

Also, how do I preserve things in baking soda, or will alcohol work? :glass:



P.S: Mom thinks that Dr.SOS wants baking soda is becuase it'll marinate well squid and all he has to do is cook it. :lol:

Neat Pics!

Thanks.

Is that my distorted avater that I see under the name Matt Jones?

Could someone PLEASE tell me how to preserve thses little buggers? :confused:

eekkk! Help, we're moving and my mom says that I will need to preserve the squids with something other than ice or she will throw it away! Please, help!

Eric, your mom is right that things would thaw in the move - and that would not be good. So you need to ask Steve and TTF and others in that lab what needs to go in the jar to preserve them! Formalin? Alcohol (I don't mean beer)? A lot of salt?

I hope you have enough time to write to them and get a response.

Good luck!

Melissa

Ok, Head of Science says that I should note a few things befor ebuying planes tickets for squids:

1) Is it really neccsary to send them to NZ to Dr. SOS
2) Will it break any custom's rules on sending these things
2) Formalin is extremly smelly, and I, Head of Sci. and the school don't have the proper certificates to give, or buy formalin.
3) Is it really neccsary to use formalin
4) How much would it cost.
5) Is the whole thing really neccsary.

Could anyone please answer the question above, please?

Also, how do I preserve things in baking soda, or will alcohol work? :glass:

P.S: Mom thinks that Dr.SOS wants baking soda is becuase it'll marinate well squid and all he has to do is cook it. :lol:

My-oh-my ... that'll learn me for being offline so often of late.

No, it is not terribly necessary to pickle them and send them to that SOS fellow. You should pickle them for yourself though, and keep them as a constant reminder that one day you'll grow up and be Dr Eric who works on squid!

No, you cannot preserve them in baking soda; you use baking soda as a buffer (to neutralise the acidity of formalin) so that the delicate sucker rings on each of the suckers do not dissolve. If you don't use it then all that you are left with is a pickled good-looking squid that has lost most of the valuable systematic characters (and you will regret this in years to come).

You cannot 'fix' a cephalopod in alcohol - it'll only go pink and rot on the inside (alcohol doesn't penetrate the tissues fast enough - and it will also send the tissues rather tough and brittle). Formalin might smell a little, but you only need to keep it in this stuff for a week, then rinse thoroughly (draining the formalin) and then transfer the fixed little devil into preservative (alcohol, 70% ETOH).

Somewhere you must get some formalin - even if you buy a small bottle (I find it hard to believe that you need permits for this) and store it out of the light, in a cool place, and away from where any children can get it, you will find it extremely handy to fix all sorts of animals throughout your school days. You'll be the only one there doing it ... some might think that you're a little odd ... but you'll have the best wee collection of preserved beasties of all your friends.

If you cannot get formalin you may as well go bury the poor thing beneath a tree somewhere, and stick a little cross there (and even carve into the tree trunk RIP squiddy). Then, when you're married with kids yourself you can take them there, show them the carved trunk, and say ..... whatever you want to the kids (and if you can't wait that long, take your girlfriend there).

store it out of the light, in a cool place, and away from where any children can get it,



Wait, that means I can't touch it. :wink:

Let me see....I've got the baking powder, some jars but no formalin, WAH!!!! No formalin!!!! Ok, I plan to move the squid to school so that the school can use their formalin (I think they have some limited supplies of that).

Oh, and is it true that formalin stinks like um.....something really nasty?\

Went to the market today and released a few juvenile triggerfish, a clownfish, a small shark, a moray eel and a fish that looked funny. Also found another Bobtail Squid and a small commercial squid, I thought it looked nice and brought it home...it in the freezer seating with the other 2 bobtails...

...and is it true that formalin stinks like um.....something really nasty?\

I don't know. We'll have to ask the Right Honourable, Regal-Footed, Sir Dr Um.... Is it true Um...?

Ja, formalin doesn't smell that great, and you have to make sure that you use it in a well-ventilated room, and use the appropriate gloves!! But it is NOT as bad as it is made out to be.

I caught the tail end of one of those crappy cop shows on telly a couple of nights back, criminal investigation/intent or something (they're all the same - acronym soup), and apparently people were dying after having worn clothes previously worn by dead people, after they had been embalmed ... and an evil mortician was selling them off for a few extra $. If what I saw on telly that night was true, I'd have been dead 1000 times over 35 years ago!

I've swum in formalin before, and fallen into huge tanks of the stuff (having slipped on squid goo), having fixed down many a giant squid in my time. It is NOT SOMETHING THAT I SUGGEST ANYONE ELSE EVER DO, and it is not something that I would do again, but I'm still here (I don't feel too good sometimes, but that's because of other abuse to the system)!! You'll be fine, as long as you abide by a few health and safety precautions. You are probably considerably worse off sitting in a car in a traffic jam, or pouring petrol in the car at a fuel station.

Formalin is blooming roses compared to the current scent of Sir Dr. Um....'s Regal Feet. I'm thinking about wading through a puddle of raw sewage to help make life more bearable for my housemates.

heat wave + sandals = :yuck:

:nofeet:

.... formalin is actually used to prevent footrot in sheep. Not sure if it'll work for you though.

Argh, can't find any formalin!!!!

And my mom is constantly nagging me about "Why in the world do you want to preserve squid, there's plenty out at the market and they're all the same....now who in the world in Steve O'Shea?!!?!" Sigh, she's right beside me nagging about the squid again...

Ja, formalin doesn't smell that great, and you have to make sure that you use it in a well-ventilated room, and use the appropriate gloves!! But it is NOT as bad as it is made out to be.


Cough, cough... do as I say, not as I do???? Hmmmmm.
Yeah, I always thought the rumors of formalin as a severe carcinogen and cause of many problems down the line including reproductive ill-health were overrated, too. :roll:

Cough, cough... do as I say, not as I do???? Hmmmmm.
Yeah, I always thought the rumors of formalin as a severe carcinogen and cause of many problems down the line including reproductive ill-health were overrated, too. :roll:

If that was true, then I'm not getting near that suff without a bio-war suit and a gas mask.

No, adequate ventilation and nitrile gloves should be fine for you, especially for the very small quantity you'd need. It's only when one observes the Squid Master up to his bare elbows in a big vat of it, :hmm: blinking tears out of his stinging eyes, that one begins to worry...

Formalin? pah!
Nothing beats the way it unblocks your sinuses ;)

Last time i asked, i was told that it's not carcinogenic but mutagenic.... still waiting for the scales to grow on my hands ... *grumbles* false advertisement that :evil:

TPOTH

No, adequate ventilation and nitrile gloves should be fine for you, especially for the very small quantity you'd need. It's only when one observes the Squid Master up to his bare elbows in a big vat of it, :hmm: blinking tears out of his stinging eyes, that one begins to worry...

Just out of curiosity, are nitrile gloves, rather than latex or rubber, important (perhaps it turns latex into goo?) Not that I plan on preserving any squids in the near future, but it seems useful to know...

I only have latx gloves.... :sad:

Yay! I have some saline formalin solution from my mom who got it from some other person that I don't know. It says it's a 10% concentration. Now I only need the gloves, how do I auquire the gloves? And how do I pronouce that N-word?


My Mom forced me to write that she is beautiful and mysterious :roll: Asian (Chinese, Hong Kong) Women who knows how to cook Fried Rice. :roll:

hehehe was that the payment for your mum for getting the formalin solution? :wink:

My Mom forced me to write that she is beautiful and mysterious :roll: Asian (Chinese, Hong Kong) Women who knows how to cook Fried Rice. :roll:

And I have no doubt that she is everything that she says, and more! You tell your mom that I think that she is the coolest of the cool!

My mom : He (Dr. SOS) is such a gentleman, how much does he earn? Is he handsome? Is he single?

However, the questions were meant to be a joke since my mom is obviously married (hence me) and she's just interested in how much being a MB pays since she wants to know how much of an "investment" I am. :lol:

Oh my word. Well, to be honest (I hope TTF isn't following this thread), I am absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, have a flawless complexion, am 6 foot 3, am super handsome, faultless, and have absolutely no vices .... But that would be telling a porky (and my name is not Owen) ....

For others, I just called Eric and had a wee chat with him. Eric, you have to tell your mum that I am not house trained, I'm not even potty trained, that I don't work regular hours, that I'm a very difficult fellow to live with (because of the hours I work), that I pour all of my money back into my science (much to the frustration of my wife, Shoba), and that MB doesn't pay a lot (although I am comfortable). It's not about money - it's about happiness, challenges, and the rewards that this profession has to offer.

Your mom is still the coolest.

That's exactly what I said to mom. She dropped dead when she heard that MB's don't pay much though.
And she pointed out something I never noticed, in Hong Kong, we eat fish balls (no, not 'that kind.), which is actually fried fish paste in the shape of a ball. And the fish we usually make them are by-catchs, rejects and fish that people don't usually eat, such as stong rays, morays and sharks. Not the best thing to the enviroment, but hey, at least we're eating it. :wink:

(I hope TTF isn't following this thread)

:twisted:

I am absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, have a flawless complexion, am 6 foot 3, am super handsome, faultless, and have absolutely no vices...

:shock: So I'm doing my PhD under the supervision of your evil (fraternal) twin, or what?

Eric, you have to tell your mum that I am not house trained, I'm not even potty trained, that I don't work regular hours, that I'm a very difficult fellow to live with (because of the hours I work), that I pour all of my money back into my science (much to the frustration of my wife, Shoba), and that MB doesn't pay a lot (although I am comfortable). It's not about money - it's about happiness, challenges, and the rewards that this profession has to offer.

That's all true, so we won't call you Owen yet. :wink:

...I am absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, have a flawless complexion, am 6 foot 3, am super handsome, faultless, and have absolutely no vices... Your mom is still the coolest.

Who's the coolest?

:notworth:

Jess just walked in and left quickly......

:wink:

:shock: So I'm doing my PhD under the supervision of your evil (fraternal) twin, or what?
or what.
That's all true, so we won't call you Owen yet. :wink:
mmm...
*preparing an email to :oshea:, starting with Dear Owen....*

just gotta try it...

TPOTH

Gah, another question, now that I have the formalin, how much baking soad would I need, to what ratio would be good. I'd say that I have about 44ml of formalin. exactly how much would I need for a squid and what would be a good container? Glass?

hehehe was that the payment for your mum for getting the formalin solution? :wink:

:lol: You could say that....hehehehe :wink:

another question, do I need to drefrost it first?

another question, do I need to drefrost it first?

Yup! If only to preserve your critters in a shape other than a square-ish block of ice :wink:

TPOTH

i dont think you needed to go through the trouble of getting formalin. i preserved my cuttlefish in rubbing alcohol and hes doing just fine.i made him a home out of a flouescent light cover and temprary pvc end caps. he looks happy.. in a grousome kind of way. :smile:

ok....maybe Dr. SOS would answer our qeustions above. And maybe small animals such as your small cuttle could use alcohol, but large ones such as Archi couldn't.

hm...come to the think of it, I don't think I have enough formalin. :sad:

Another trip to the market brings in horrbile news:
It seems like that it's juvenile cuttle season again, I saw buckets and buckets ofr dead cuttles for sale in the market.
Also, it's octo season or someone is mass importing octos. I saw what looked like a slimy pile of octos, roughly 15-20 octos that has a eye-to-eye length of about 5-7cm, a huge red octo that lookd like a juvenile Pacific Giant, and a tiny one (perhaps a bimac) which was near transparent with a tinge of yellowish-mud color on the skin.
I could only afford to save the presumed bimac and a few by-catchs.


Saw a shark on sale too, though.

Another trip to the market brings in horrbile news:
It seems like that it's juvenile cuttle season again, I saw buckets and buckets ofr dead cuttles for sale in the market.
Also, it's octo season or someone is mass importing octos. I saw what looked like a slimy pile of octos, roughly 15-20 octos that has a eye-to-eye length of about 5-7cm, a huge red octo that lookd like a juvenile Pacific Giant, and a tiny one (perhaps a bimac) which was near transparent with a tinge of yellowish-mud color on the skin.
I could only afford to save the presumed bimac and a few by-catchs.


Saw a shark on sale too, though.

Already spending your own money for research purposes? :grin:
I suppose it's the best (only?) way to get anything done those days. Bankrupt yourself and hope for the best... the thrill of science...
*looks at his can of baked beans for the week*
*sighs*
:sad:
I'm so glad I'm in research (really, wouldn't do anything else... don't think i actually can do anything else ... ok back to work!)

how much for the shark? any idea what species?

TPOTH

well, the shark looked fresh enough and it was at around the same price for some cod, I think. The shark was approx 3 feet to 3 and a half 3 feet long and has a rubbery grey color to it, presume reeg shark of some kind, not one tip or black tip though, might be a grey something shark or a juvenile something shark.

*starts to wonder if the title is a bit misleading into making poeple think that this is a off topic thread*

Not off topic at all; it's a totally cool thread, Eric.

Why, thank you.

Psst! My name is Eric!

Ed SOS [old people make mistakes; sorry] :wink:

(seen the ED, but you arn't that old, are you?)

Another little question, how much formalin will a squid absorb?

And...

What sort of container should I store the formalin in?

(seen the ED, but you arn't that old, are you?)

I'm ancient; am 106 and on borrowed time, have had three makeovers, two hip replacements, three pacemakers, a ton of plastic surgery, seven wives, 64 kids, and two name changes after various relocations in the witness protection program. I am originally from Italy, where I used to grow olives (my wives used to stomp bare-footed on grapes), but I had to give all that away, and all of my wives and kids, ~ 40 years ago after blowing the whistle on the mafia.

Keep your formalin (concentrated) in a dark glass bottle, and keep it out of direct sunlight; store it somewhere where no 'little person' can reach it, preferably locked up, and have the bottle VERY CLEARLY LABELLED. How much formalin a squid will 'absorb' will depend on its size, and how long you leave the little beasty in the solution.

I will get organised next week and put a few sketches online to help you pickle this little fella down.
Toodles

thanks for the help, now I'll have to do some research on where to find some dark glass bottles...but why does it need to be a dark glass, an't it be the transparent ones?

thanks for the help, now I'll have to do some research on where to find some dark glass bottles...but why does it need to be a dark glass, an't it be the transparent ones?

I guess formalin should be kept away from light, at least until you use it. The brown or green bottles used for some wine and beer might work. For now, maybe put your bottle in some kind of cover - wrapping paper, whatever, which will be easy to label, too.

Melissa

How about using contact paper? It will definitely stick, and it is pretty much impervious to liquids. Not too easy to label, but stick on labels covered with clear plastic packing tape should do.

I guess formalin should be kept away from light, at least until you use it. The brown or green bottles used for some wine and beer might work. For now, maybe put your bottle in some kind of cover - wrapping paper, whatever, which will be easy to label, too.

Melissa

Tin foil is good for that. Easy to wrap around the bottles, a few layers and stick your label on (standard sticky labels should be fine).

TPOTH

thanks, will try and locate bottles now.

I went to the market today, bought a cuttle for a few bucks and set dumped him back into the ocean, I feel so proud of myself now.:grin:

Was he/she alive at the market?

Hey Eric, where in HK did you go to find these critters? I'll be heading there later in the year to visit some relatives and would love to check all of this out. Plus, I want to go hunting for some colonial tunicates. :grin:
BTW, have you been to the "goldfish market"? It is easily accessible by MTR. I saw some really cool cuttlefish (Sepia spp.) the last time I was there.

Hey Eric, where in HK did you go to find these critters? I'll be heading there later in the year to visit some relatives and would love to check all of this out. Plus, I want to go hunting for some colonial tunicates. :grin:
BTW, have you been to the "goldfish market"? It is easily accessible by MTR. I saw some really cool cuttlefish (Sepia spp.) the last time I was there.

Yes, I've been to the Goldfish market, it is quite a interesting place. But I havn't seen any cephs there recently, seems like that the Hong Kong population has a bigger interest in cephs as food then as pets.
Although I did see a sting-ray and a tray of jellyfish for sale...
To find these critters I was talking about involves going to Aberdeen, taking a boat to the other side and a market.
Colonial tunicates are rare in Hong Kong, although I did see ONE when I was diving last year.

Was he/she alive at the market?

Yes, very, if it was dead, I would've ate it. It was a real hard decision, having a somehwhat "rare" big-finned squd (also alive) and a bunch of trigger-fish.

Went to do some snooping yesterday and got some pretty pics of cuttles torn in half, dead cuttles, a tray of dead octos and some more things I got from the market! Will start posting at the end of the week.

Originally posted by ChronoWar
pics of cuttles torn in half,

Aghhh! Now I am going to have nightmares...

Hm...went to the local pet selling stores and guess what? 2 nautilus for sale!

The poor things were about the size of a 10 year olds fist..approx 10cm ( give or take 1cm) in diameter length. However, they were being kept in a empty tank (rocks or deco). The part where it troubled me was that they weren't moving at all, they were floating near the water intake and they didn't respond AT ALL to the pokes and prodes of a frustrated employee.

I asked why and the employee responded: (translated in Chinese)
"They're not moving becuase UNLIKE octos, squids and cuttles. These are deep water creatures."

Me:
"I thought octos, squids and these things are in the same family...And why aren't they moving?"

Employee:
"Don't be silly, these things are like snails, they cling to rocks. But octos are active and swim around."

Seriously.....words fail me.

Were they selling the Nautilus for pet or food (:yuck:)?

As pets, of course!

Saddening to the extreme....

.... and a conservationist is born in Eric; this is how it starts! Now you must make it your mission to stop it.

I'll try, Dr. O'Shea. I'll try. (As soon as I know what I'm talking about, that is...)

Just a interesting thing I remember today:

A teacher in our class is a avid diver (he dives everywhere) and the last time I talked to him. I think he mentioned somthing about a Blue Ring spotted on a dive in Hong Kong. Since it happened some time ago, I'm not to sure about the facts, so I'm going to go chase after him for some more info.


...have Blue Rings been spotted anywhere other than Aussie? I've done some quick research but has so far yeilded only things on Blue Rings in Australia.

Hi Eric

there are at least a half dozen species in the Hapalochlaena group and they have quite a wide distribution. Actually, most of the blue rings sold for the pet trade are from Indonesia and Bali in particular.

as far as Hong Kong is concerned it is probably the blue lined octopus H fasciata. Dr Roy will know a lot more about them than me :)

Colin

Hooah! I finally found my camera!

Pictures taken in a wet market in Hong Kong. I've done my ritual of buying a ceph and assorted small bycatch and throwing them back into the harbor. But these are either dead or seem to be too weak to make it even if I throw it back.

WARNING! DEAD CEPHS/DYING CEPHS AHEAD!!

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I would imagine the fish markets are pretty interesting. Thanks for giving it a shot. Do you get weird looks from people when you release them?

Quite some time ago, a bunch of fishermen wanting to use a whole live octo as bait for large groupers (they love to eat cephs) yelled as me for letting a octo for going back into the ocean, they were probably following me since they had a net ready.

OMG! I would steal all those octos and cuttles and squids and throw them back in the minute I saw them! Have you seen that new "live octopus" eating thing? ITS SO GROSS AND EVIL! They get a big bowl with very live and healthy octopus and stap them with chopsticks then wrap them around it and wrip there tentacles off all when the octo is still alive. And finally when its holding onto its last breath they eat it whole!!! YUK!

That is sad, Eric. What I would do for one of those cuttles live! Doing that to octopus (the lower image) is criminal!

More dead cut up cephs.


OMG! I would steal all those octos and cuttles and squids and throw them back in the minute I saw them!


Marineboy, I understand your desire to save cephs from their salt and peppered, along with some chili sauce on a hot stove grave! But this is not the way to go.

1) Even if I stole them, most of them were dead/dying anyway and would just be another loss for both hungry folks and the fishermen, not to mention it not doing any good to the ocean.

2) If I bought them, I would be broke and have no money (GIVE ME MONEY NOW FOLKS TO SAVE A CEPH! - remember the my first thread?:mrgreen: )

3) If I stole them, I would not only get arrested, but I would incur some bad rep at the wet market and lose my position as "The Guy who sets free stuff" - resulting in me having to pay more than I do know (Regulars get discounts and the occasional freebie.) and they would also refuse to sell anything to me or even give me ridiculously high prices for anything.

It would also be like asking Dr. Steve O'Shea to nuke the bottom trawlers, which in turn, just gave Dr. SOS a valuable complete body of a dead Messie they trawled up.

Have you seen that new "live octopus" eating thing? ITS SO GROSS AND EVIL! They get a big bowl with very live and healthy octopus and stap them with chopsticks then wrap them around it and wrip there tentacles off all when the octo is still alive. And finally when its holding onto its last breath they eat it whole!!! YUK!

Yes I have seen the tradition (it's not new) of eating live animals such as a octopus. It's not gross nor evil, in fact, it's quite exhilarating and amusing. They get a big bowl (or no need for this if you're near a sea-food tank), the insert a chopstick (usually plastic or silver) into the mantle via the funnel.
The octo is then sometimes placed in a icebath for some unknown reason. The tentacles are then eaten and cut at the end. Each bite is about 1.5-2 inches long, so a fresh common octo could give about 15-25 (depends on size and length of arms) people, since this is not a "main dish" but sort of like a entertainment/thrilling appetizer.
The process of cutting off the arms is done with very sharp scissors, since blunt ones tend to make the process slow and literally "rips off" the arms instead of sever it.
The process usually takes around 3-7 minutes for a group of 10. The octo is usually cooked afterwards. Eating a live octo's mantle is not done since the internal organs contain bacteria and other nasties. If I get the chance to do so again, yes,
I would do so, after all, you only live once, gotta try everything you can.

If I get the chance to do so again, yes,
I would do so, after all, you only live once, gotta try everything you can.

Well, yes and no...

Small octopuses are eaten whole and alive, actually... The icewater used as described above is to make muscles contract, giving raw fish (and therefore I guess octopus) that "special" bite...

A well known practice in Japan for sashimi.

Hey, this should be in the "cooking on another planet" thread :smile:

Those pictures of cuttlefish are cruel. Are some of them alive? :mad:

Joey

Those pictures of cuttlefish are cruel. Are some of them alive? :mad:

Joey

Look at the grasping tentacle of one of them. Yes they are. It's trendier now than it used to be, but in East Asia this has been going on for, oh, about 5,000 years. Look at the bright side - SOMETHING is going to eat the majority of them alive! It's not like the increase in bat-eating as a barside snack. Most bats live decades and birth and raise one live pup a year - they don't breed fast - one act of vandalism at a bat colony can result in the culmulitive loss of hundreds of years of animal life! With these cephs, however horrifying we may view it, you're dealing with animals that brood thousands of eggs (in the case of octopus) and only expect two or three to reach maturity. Something shall certainly eat them sooner or later.

Still, as a Westerner, I find the entire practice unusually sadistic and vile. But then I'm a cultural chauvinist that way. I also object to the eating of cats and dogs, although I'm told firsthand that they're rather tasty. Cows, however? Pork? Lowly creatures designed solely for my gullet. Don't even get me started on fowl.

I plan on posting pictures of two legged mutton soon...running out of domestic animals.

I plan on posting pictures of two legged mutton soon...running out of domestic animals.

This variety? :wink:

Now that I have found my camera again (lost it for a while under my bed), I have some more pictures. And this time, a little less depressing.

One of the pictures of the blob in the water is a cuttle. A live cuttle that I have bought out of the little pile of spare change and money generously donated by atticus_finch ( http://www.tonmo.com/forums/member.php?u=2453 - she's still a supporter, although she hasn't been on for a whole year) and set free in the local harbor. Another pic displays some tiny flounder-ish flatfish and what seems to be another species of fish I don't seem to remember. The last one shows 2 Giant cuttles (approx. 4-5 kg) along with a rather large and flat sort of triggerfish. In yellow tubs beside the basin of shrimp behind the basin of cuttle and triggers are what seems to be soem sort of deep water fish, so far, I have no idea what it is, but any has the time to ID it, I will post better pics of it when I travel to the market next time.


[Middle pic is supposed to be view sideways. And I apologise for the quality of that picture, since my camera is kinda old]

Hmmmmm.

What does a cuttle go for at the market Eric?

Perhaps you could do a better trade (get more $$) if they were marketed as pets, and you set yourself up in a little business where you sold them as such, then maintained the aquariums and provided appropriate prey for a set fee each week/month.

It seems as a 'food item' they are an undervalued resource; perhaps you could raise public awareness and keep them alive.

Due to many local customs, many of those who see a ceph think "food", not "pet". Due to this, it's not very likely that I can persuade the salt water fish keepers of Hong Kong interested in very long. We tend to look for pretty things, like coral, fish, colorful crabs and nudibranchs.

Cephs, being quite abundant in HK's water are usually not exotic enough for your average man. And those in the market are usually quite large and at the end stage of their life. (The cuttles caught were probably caught during the mating season, if my assumptions are correct.) So even if I were to keep them, they would be a seasonal occurence and would have a high natural mortality rate.

[As a side note, our local aquarium/amusmant park has opted to keep Lantern fish and some other animal instead of their display of cuttles and octos, I suspect their just not on display but in the back - the squid display Sepioteuthis lessoniana is still there.]

I still won't eat octopus even if you convince me its not evil...

well, at least not an alive one!

Moving along my hard-drive, I'm going to post some more pictures.

Foot long prawns...excluding the head.

A shell-less hermit crab (among a dozen or so inside a plastic wash basin, never thought they were edible though (only seen them used as bait)

A a bucket of sting-ray..literally.


[On a deep sea fish thing, any takers?]

How much does it cost to free a cuttle?? If I send you money, will you take pics of the one you save and when you let him go? =)

Depends on the size, it takes about anything between 20-40 HKD [[2.5-5 USD]] to buy a cuttle (depending on availability). These cuttles range from the a mantle lenght of 20-30cm.

The larger ones cost a lot more, the larger ones weighing around 3-5 kilos can cost a hefty 100-150 HKD [[12.8-19USD]]

On donations:
I will gladly take donations (via Paypal or cheques), and I will take pictures of every single thing (cuttles, octos, you name it) I buy and set free back into the ocean until my money runs out again.
Since I can't afford the bigger ones with the money and avaliblity issues, I usually end up buying smaller ones on a more frequent basis instead of saving up monmey to buy a few bigger ones.

Since I can't afford the bigger ones with the money and avaliblity issues, I usually end up buying smaller ones on a more frequent basis instead of saving up monmey to buy a few bigger ones.

Maybe it's better to let the little ones go so they can live out the rest of their life in the ocean. The big ones could already be at the end of their lifespan (and hopefully already mated...). I will be counting my pennies to " adopt and rescue a cuttlefish"...

There's a wide range of animals to set free in addition to cephs. Bamboo sharks,groupers, coral trout, prawns and even the occasional horseshoe crab. Although that would take me hundreds of dollars since I can't just fling it into the local harbor and have to contact the goverment to the speical horsehoe crab habitats.