Bigfin squid spotted for first time in northeast Pacific

Researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have captured the first recorded sighting of a bigfin squid (Magnapinna) in the northeast Pacific Ocean. The encounter occurred on August 7 during a research expedition aboard the vessel David Packard, which was investigating seamounts off the coast of Central California.

Using an underwater vehicle approximately two miles beneath the ocean surface, the team observed the elusive creature hovering near the seafloor. Postdoctoral researcher Olívia Soares Pereira initially mistook the animal for a jellyfish before identifying its characteristic “elbow” structure. The squid, estimated to be approximately 1.25 meters (4.1 feet) long, featured long, pale appendages and trailing tentacles.

The sighting was incidental to the primary mission, which was conducted in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to study underwater mountains and investigate whether whales leave furrows in the sediment of the Davidson Seamount. The bigfin squid is exceptionally rare, with only about 70 recorded observations or collections globally.