Darren Park, owner of Four Seasons Tours in Cox’s Cove, has spent his fair share of time on the water taking clients out on the bay for ocean adventures such as codfishing and squid jigging tours for a number of years.
He took two clients from England out on the water in the Penguin Arm and North Arm areas for a couple of days last week and had no problem getting a few buckets full of squid.
Codfishing wasn’t an option for the two guests because it was too early, so Park offered up the option of a day on the water fetching a few squid and mackerel and they ended up having luck on the water.
It’s been at least a handful of years since Park seen any squid in the bay and he don’t know why that is the case, other than thinking it may have something to do with the warm temperatures.
He said it was pretty weird to have squid so plentiful when the numbers have dwindled for species such as caplin and salmon.
He has chatted with a lot of people in the area who have taken notice of how plentiful they are this year and he’s seen dories at the mouth of the Humber River hauling in squid after squid on a number of occasions in the past few weeks.
“It’s puzzling,” Park said bluntly. “Four or five years no squid and now all of sudden the bays are full. They are everywhere on the island.”
Tyrone Park of Cox’s Cove is an avid commercial fisherman who loves to take to the water to get a few squid for personal use, some eaten fresh right out of the water, while others are dried or turned into squid rings.
It’s a fun time in the quest for a meal for the table for this seasoned fisherman and he’s happy to see so many squid in the bay when it’s been such a long spell without being able to get a feed for the family.
“You don’t know if you’re going to catch any or not, but it’s certainly an excitement when they start coming in over your boat,” Park said.
It doesn’t have the same appeal as cod and salmon, but Park is quick to point out he don’t think many squid go to waste.
“I can tell you there’s a lot of people after squid,” he said.
