SURVIVAL, GROWTH, AND BEHAVIOR OF THE LOLIGINID SQUIDS LOLIGO PLEI, LOLIGO PEALEI, AND LOLLIGUNCULA BREVIS (MOLLUSCA: CEPHALOPODA) IN CLOSED SEA WATER SYSTEMS.

Over 1200 squids were captured by night lighting, trawling, or seining in the northern Gulf of Mexico for laboratory maintenance. Two types of recirculating sea water systems were designed and evaluated: a 2 m circular tank (1500 liter capacity) and a 10 m long raceway (10,000 liters). Mean laboratory survival was: Loligo plei (12 to 252 mm mantle length, ML) 11 days, maximum 84 days; Loligo pealei (109 to 285 mm ML) 28 days, maximum 71 days; Lolliguncula brevis (27 to 99 mm ML) 19 days, maximum 125 days.