Squid

The Chinese Fishermen in the Monterey Bay area were very successful at harvesting squid. Squid are nocturnal, so they fished by night. The Chinese discovered that squid were attracted to light. They would fish squid using three boats. One boat would light a lantern and place it above the surface of the water. The light would cause the squid to swim to the surface of the water. The Two other boats would use a net to scoop up the squid. All three boats would be filled with squid.

The morning after, the fishermen would split, salt, and spread the squid out on drying racks or rooftops. Once they were sufficiently dry, they would be packed into 130-pound bundles and shipped by steamer to San Fransisco. “In the 1888 squid season, the Chinese shipped 230,000 pounds of dried squid from Monterey, a harvest valued at $12,500. Monterey was the only place in California where the squid run was large enough to support extensive squid fishing, and each year Monterey provided over 90% of California’s production of dried squid.”

To learn more about the squid drying process,
go to the Educational Section.