In 2004 I had the privilege of designing and installing a squid rearing system at the U of WI Madison for Professors Margaret McFall-Ngai and Ned Ruby. I recently returned to Madison (from my home now in FL) for the 25th Anniversary Pow-Wow of Ned and Margaret’s research on the Hawaiian Bobtailed squid. It was great seeing the Profs again and meeting many of their students, both current and graduates. Most interesting to me was the success they are having in not only keeping the little Bobtailed squid in my systems but getting phenomenal egg production and hatch success so necessary to their research. Squid Meister, Nell Bekiares, took me on a tour of the new lab housing my nine year old systems. I was happy to see they are operating as intended and look in fantastic shape for being Acrylic.
Two years ago the Lab moved into a new building on campus. Above is a picture of one of three systems showing some good piping modification made due to cutting the original PVC for the move. A fourth system was designed as a hatchery.
Nell reported to me they harvest 7,000 baby squid a year. Greater production than they were experiencing in Hawaii, where they circulated NSW continuous flow through. To me that is incredible considering we are using artificial SW and 1000s of miles from their endemic home waters.
Euprymna scolopes, the Hawaiian Bobtailed Squid less than 24 hours old. What an awesome sight.
In 2013 I got to do it again here in FL. One of the squid labs graduates, Associate Professor Jamie Foster Ph.D., of the U of FL contacted me as a result of my association with the U of WI connection. I recently finished a similar installation at the Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, U of FL, Space Life Sciences Lab, located in Exploration Park on the Kennedy Space Center grounds. We filled the system about a month ago and Jamie reported all is well with squid in residence.
Thanks for reading,
Dick
Two years ago the Lab moved into a new building on campus. Above is a picture of one of three systems showing some good piping modification made due to cutting the original PVC for the move. A fourth system was designed as a hatchery.
Nell reported to me they harvest 7,000 baby squid a year. Greater production than they were experiencing in Hawaii, where they circulated NSW continuous flow through. To me that is incredible considering we are using artificial SW and 1000s of miles from their endemic home waters.
Euprymna scolopes, the Hawaiian Bobtailed Squid less than 24 hours old. What an awesome sight.
In 2013 I got to do it again here in FL. One of the squid labs graduates, Associate Professor Jamie Foster Ph.D., of the U of FL contacted me as a result of my association with the U of WI connection. I recently finished a similar installation at the Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, U of FL, Space Life Sciences Lab, located in Exploration Park on the Kennedy Space Center grounds. We filled the system about a month ago and Jamie reported all is well with squid in residence.
Thanks for reading,
Dick