Invasive range expansion by the Humboldt squid, Dosidicus gigas, in the eastern North Pacific

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Jul 31;104(31):12948-50. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0702043104. Epub 2007 Jul 23.

Abstract

A unique 16-year time series of deep video surveys in Monterey Bay reveals that the Humboldt squid, Dosidicus gigas, has substantially expanded its perennial geographic range in the eastern North Pacific by invading the waters off central California. This sustained range expansion coincides with changes in climate-linked oceanographic conditions and a reduction in competing top predators. It is also coincident with a decline in the abundance of Pacific hake, the most important commercial groundfish species off western North America. Recognizing the interactive effects of multiple changes in the environment is an issue of growing concern in ocean conservation and sustainability research.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • California
  • Decapodiformes / physiology*
  • Ecosystem*
  • Marine Biology
  • Pacific Ocean
  • Population Dynamics
  • Temperature
  • Time Factors