Groups of squid were mating everywhere we looked, and squid egg casings already obscured the sand bottom. Furthermore, a variety of fishes and other animals including bat rays, thornback rays, sheep crabs and sea lions were feeding on the squid. Talk about a wild scene.
Of course, there were scenes like the one we were witnessing all over Southern California that night, as the La Jolla Submarine Canyon is only one of any number of sites where market squid gather to mate during typical Southern California winters. Also known as common squid, these cephalopods usually inhabit deep water, but they mate and lay their eggs in much shallower surroundings. The mating and egg laying typically occur over sandy bottoms, sometimes at depths as shallow as 30 to 40 feet/9 to 12 m, but more commonly in slightly deeper, cooler water. The event is often referred to as a “run,” and during heavy runs, which can last for several weeks or even months, literally millions of squid gather to mate in coastal canyons and along steep sand drop-offs at the offshore Channel Islands.