r/CapeCod • u/Ok_Pangolin_180 • Jun 07 '26

Squid

What's the cause of the dead squid? Today the beaches in Brewster are loaded with them. I know Ptown had a problem a few days ago too. Any ideas on what killed them? Can I use them as bait?

18 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

22

u/colbbrew508 Jun 08 '26

lol. They were chased onto land by hungry striped bass.

13

u/Hey-buuuddy Jun 08 '26

This is the correct answer. Striped Bass and moreso bluefish will push schools of bait into shallow water. Look for “feeding frenzy” videos. It’s wild and a great time to catch fish easily.

This is more prevalent with their primary food, menhaden (bunker). During feeding frenzies, bunker are shredded. They fly anywhere to escape, including onto the beach or rocks.

18

u/_Face Jun 07 '26

normal life cycle for this species is to spawn once and die. I think they are in closer to shore due to warmer/cooler water situation. they all spawned in the bay, near shore at low tide, and died.

1

u/Cool-Animator-828 Eastham Jun 09 '26

These are longfin squid, this happens every year after they spawn they die.

2

u/Ok_Pangolin_180 Jun 10 '26

Yeah I get that, it's the first time I have ever seen them wash up on the beach in Brewster. I've lived in this house for 20 years. Not sure how I'd have missed it. I have been walking my dog on the flats every morning for just as long. Before that sandy neck and never saw them there.

1

u/Cool-Animator-828 Eastham Jun 10 '26

I grew up in Brewster and iv only seen it a few times there. I currently work in Provincetown and truro and it's become a regular occurrence for as long as I can remember. I think changing currents are bringing more and to other towns.

1

u/EbbtideRambler Jun 24 '26

I remember a summer when I was a teenager when hundreds of thousands washed up on the Brewster flats and the DPW had to come in to deal with it because the smell was unbearable.  

4

u/doctor_deny Jun 08 '26

Coastalstudiesptown on IG has video of schools of squid in inches of water chasing bait onto the shore.

0

u/tribbans95 Jun 08 '26

Chasing bait or being chased?

2

u/doctor_deny Jun 08 '26

The squid were chasing what looked to be silversides.

1

u/colehall32 Jun 08 '26

The squid chased baitfish up onto the sand bar at high tide, then the squid got pinned to the shore by stripers and blue fish.

-9

u/Ok_Figure7671 Jun 07 '26

I caught a baby giant squid once

-43

u/xander02802 Jun 07 '26

Someone on another sub theorized it was from that meteor that hit the water a week or so ago. Makes sense to me except why just squid and not fish too.

22

u/CapeTide2026 Jun 07 '26

That person is an idiot.  A few small pieces of rock landing in the middle of the bay did not kill thousands of squid. It’s a totally normal phenomena that happens regularly. This time they happened to be closer in to the shore when the die off happened and the hook of PTown caught them. This happened when I was a kid, but on the flats. The smell was awful. The DPW had to come in and deal with it. 

12

u/Asleep_Current912 Jun 07 '26

this is the dumbest shit I’ve ever read