HILO, Hawaii (KHON) – The night of Feb. 1 was just like any other for Nikko Eterovich, a small-boat commercial fisherman working out of Hilo Harbor on Hawaii’s Big Island. But around midnight, he ended up catching what may be the biggest squid — also known as Ika — that Hawaii has seen in a very long time.
Eterovich said he and his crew were fishing in about 6,000 feet of water when the squid snagged the line.
“At first, we thought maybe it was a Manta ray. I heard the deckhands talking about what it could be,” Eterovich said. “Once it got close to the boat and I realized what it was, I flew out of the [cabin] and grabbed an Ika pole.”
Eterovich and his crew soon had a handle on the squid, then lost it to the depths after one of his deckhands “mis-gaffed it.”
“I thought for sure it was gone,” Eterovich said. “I gave it a line but kept the tension and was able to fight it back up to the surface.”
Eterovich said this was the biggest squid he ever caught. Its weight was recorded at 33 pounds, 12.8 ounces, and it measured 58.5 inches in length, he said. The last one he reeled in was 13 pounds.
“When I sold it to Suisan Fish Market, they said it was the largest, by far, they’ve seen in years,” explained Eterovich. “Was definitely a catch for the books.”
Eterovich is now in the process of applying for a state record, something he believes he’s achieved with this Mizu Ika, or Diamondback squid.
Andrew Rossiter, of the Waikiki Aquarium, has since told Nexstar’s KHON that Eterovich’s squid is definitely an uncommon catch, although he’s not entirely sure of the species just yet.
“It’s a big animal, a big animal. I’m not sure … what species it is, but it’s probably normally found in deeper offshore waters,” Rossiter said. “So [its] unusual to see it caught.
Eterovich, meanwhile, joked that his squid could make “about 100 plates of calamari.”
“We love to eat squid. Our personal favorites are squid luau, kimchi squid poke, sashimi and, of course, fried calamari with sweet chili sauce and lemon,” he said.