Below by Ryan Lockwood Page B

burger joint, staring at him with sad eyes in an effort to elicit a French fry. Sturman scratched his ears. “Hear that, Bud? These things are bigger than you.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “Nothing. Just talking to my business partner.”
    “Right . . . so what I was getting at is that the only cephalopods people hear about are giant squid, or their cousins, colossal squid, simply because they’re so big. The popular media can generate a lot of interest about animals that are forty feet long and weigh a ton. But the thing is, nobody will ever occupy the same space as a giant squid unless they go thousands of feet underwater in a submersible. Giant squid are too few and too deep.
    “The squid that I study are much faster, more graceful, and more aggressive than any giant squid. And probably more intelligent. Plus, they’re easier to study, since they actually go into shallower water where we can dive with them.”
    “Doc, you sure know your squids. So you tagged one of these things, these Humboldt squid, off San Diego? They aren’t very common around here, are they?”
    “No, they aren’t. Actually, that squid was tagged in the Gulf of California. The Sea of Cortez. That’s why I’m so glad you called. That’s the first Dosidicus from my study to move out of the study area.”
    “Let’s get something out of the way here. I don’t mind helping you out, but it also says something here about a reward.”
    “Oh, yeah. Right. The people at PLARG should be able to help you out with that.”
    “They said to talk to you about the money.”
    “I’m sure they can help you out. I think the going rate is a hundred dollars for a returned tag. Look, Mr. Sturman, this is really important research. That tag you found proves that these squid are moving north into California. We’ve had many reports over the last decade of Humboldts moving as far north as western Canada, but we’ve never been able to track any of the animals from Mexico or anywhere else. Many of us think they’re now expanding their range.”
    “So I guess this is great news for you, then?” Sturman threw a French fry at a seagull. Only a hundred dollars.
    “It’s outstanding news. I’m coming back to California in a few days.... Maybe I can head first to San Diego and talk with you about the tag. I’d like to learn about where you found it, and maybe spend a few days in the area looking for the shoal. Do you have your own boat, by any chance?”
    “I’m a divemaster. Got a live-aboard thirty-six-foot Wellcraft.”
    “Really? Would you be interested in taking me out on the water for a few days this week? I’d pay you, of course. The grant covers unexpected research costs.”
    Sturman sat up in his chair. “Actually, my calendar just opened up for this week. We could probably work something out, Dr. Martell.”
    “That’s great.”
    “You really willing to spend time out on a boat with a stranger?”
    “I’ve done crazier things, and I don’t have time to try and research a better deal. Your boat sounds perfect, anyway. I’d just need to bring a little equipment on board. Oh, and we’d have to go out at night. Would that be a problem?”
    “No, like I said, I’m sure we can work something out. So why did you say these squid ventured to my neck of the woods?”
    “Squid are just like every other animal, even human beings. We all spread wherever we can, where conditions may be as favorable or more favorable than the place we were before, until we are limited by something. People have spread all over the planet because of our amazing ability to adapt using clothing, shelter, new food sources . . . you get the point. But with other animals, which are evolved for a specific set of conditions, movements into new habitats only can happen when the ecology or environmental conditions of an area change. Whatever limiting factors were present before, such as lack of food sources or temperatures out of an ideal range, must change to become more