G'day all,

was out this morning for a dive, and saw 4 big cuttlefish.. (not much else)! Didn't have a crack cause I'm not sure if they're any good on the chew, or how to dispatch them..

Kill knife between the eyes?

Cheers, Damo.

Same as squid, one or two quick jabs in the "neck" behind the eyes / head, just before the neck joins the hood. You'll know they're dead when the whole body turns from "what ever colour they decided to be" to white.

In terms of taste, similar to calamari, maybe a bit tougher (but its still pretty good).

I personally have an aversion to killing them, as when interacting with them they're one of the few creatures I've seen in the sea that when you look at them, it feels like there's something is looking back at you, and thinking the same thing. They really are pretty awesome / fun to just interact with. Try mimicking one, and it gets this "wtf are you doing?!" look and then will start mimicking you back (to a degree). Very cool. Just unsettles me a bit to think that Id be killing something that is capable of abstract thought. That could just be my "dirty left wing hippy" mindset coming into play though.

Hey thanks ossk.

I know where you're coming from. I spent quite a while looking at the 4 that I saw. Their camo is amazing! I nearly head butted 1 on the bottom. All of them stayed a while until i touched them with my spear.
Their back seems fairly hard/tough.. Is that where the cuttle fish bone is?

I don't kill octopus for the same reason, just seems like they have intelligence and some sort of awareness.....and they chewy Apparently they are as smart as a dog.

Yeah, the cuttle bone is at the top of their hood. Southern Calamari (and presumably all cephalopods - except maybe octopus) actually have a similar bone, but its like a very thin, clear bone (looks almost like a plastic strip). Idk about squiddys, but in cuttles the bone helps them with buoyancy, and presumably offers some level of protection against predators (except predators armed with spearguns - or large teeth).



It wouldn't surprise me tbh. Though short lived, some of the "higher" cephalopods exhibit extremely intelligent, complex behavior - solving puzzles, responding to conditioning (eg. pavlovs dogs) and display signs of observational learning. Pretty cool stuff.

now i feel horrible for spearing my cuttlefish yesterday......

Haha I don't shoot them for the same reasons, used to film them alot but have to admit I've nailed the odd one here and there! When your on the fish but out of berley sometimes a few easy kilos of prime meat is just too hard to resist!

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Like a farken underwater ninja!

The fish were blinded by overexposure to his pure awesomeness!

Hahahah! I shoot the odd one as they are nicer to eat than squid, flesh is lovely and tender. Occy is great too if you know how to cook it, boil for at least 45min in salt water then slip the skin off. It is like any other fish in the sea, don't go overboard and respect the environment. Take a feed and be selective. Both animals are impressive in their own way.

Cuttlefish heads are awesome bait for snapper too if you do a bit of line fishing. I would leave at least three for every one I take. It is quite common to see them when your diving for crays. Cheers.

Yeah, I do like eating cuttles too, but I just cant bring myself to kill them - so its a rare pleasure reserved for restaurants, or if a friend / family member has bagged one and is willing to share.

That said, not all cephalopods receive the same mercy from me. Come southern calamari breeding season, its game on!

I've seen pigs do some amazing circus tricks but that sure won't stop me eating bacon.
I've seen octopuses open glass jars but I reckon they are just approaching the jar the same way they would a crab. grab each end and twist to open. I just cant see how a critter with a brain so small you can't shoot it could be smart.

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WARNING: CONTAINS CARROT

Each to their own Greg. Thanks for the input guys.

I'll probably make up my mind next time I see one. They sort of seem pretty defenseless too..

In saying that I have no trouble shooting a stationary Flatty or taking a bag of scallops.

Don't feel bad mate.. Their not illegal to take.. There's no shortage of them from what I can see, and everybody has an opinion and differing tastes.. (Just do a search on Dusky Morwongs and you'll see what I mean)!

As long as your not raping and pillaging the environment your good to go!

Cheers.

Could have taken a big one at Morno last night but didn't bother, might have to give them a try next time. Plenty of squid around, not a bad size either.

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I don't get sea sick, the sea gets sick of me!

miss & I love eating occy, so i said come for a dive and we will get one with the occy hook. worst decision ever, as soon as we saw the bastard in an old tyre she demanded i didnt kill it . damn they tast good.!

they all tast good, freeze well and cook up on the barby.