Dozens of dead squid found washed ashore on beaches

Newport Beach lifeguards and one Balboa Peninsula resident are reporting several dozen dead squid washed up on the city’s beaches over the weekend.

“I’ve never seen a squid out there, and all of a sudden there were 46 of ‘em,” said Larry Fuss, who lives on West Ocean Front near lifeguard tower 17.

Fuss said he saw 46 dead squid by his house Saturday and his wife saw 44 more by the Wedge. Newport lifeguards reported far fewer of the giant Humboldt squid — fewer than 30 along the entire beach, lifeguard Battalion Chief Jim Turner said.

It’s not clear why the squid died or whether it had anything to do with recent sea animal fatalities from an algae-produced toxin. But Turner remembered a much worse incident when more than 1,000 dead squid washed up in Orange County in 2005.

Turner said the influx of squid, which Fuss said were 2½ to 3 feet long, isn’t a cause for concern.

“This is an animal that’s in the millions. They’re catching hundreds and hundreds of these things off Mexico every night,” he said. “When the weather turns a certain way and water temperatures are just right they will come up into this area.”

— Alicia Robinson