OUR SQUID
Wild caught from pristine Alaskan waters, the Magister Squid is a sweet and tender squid that is the perfect addition to your seafood offerings. According to NOAA Fisheries (National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration), it is the most abundant of the squid species found in Alaska’s waters. Plans are in progress to open Alaska’s first squid fishery for Magister Squid in 2025 at which time Alaska will be the sole source of Magister Squid in North America.
What People Are Saying About Our Squid
“As a representative chef of Yamagata Prefecture and the Tsuruoka UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy (Tsuruoka City), I can say that I was thoroughly impressed and fascinated by the wide range of applications, excellent texture and flavors, as well as the large size and volume of this squid. Through my work as a judge and instructor for Japan’s famed pufferfish cuisine, I have the good fortune of working with chefs and regional styles of Japanese cuisines across Japan….” Read more
— Takeshi Suda, Executive Chef of Okimizuki
“We have sent your samples of Magister Squid to our squid processing company for evaluation and found it to be soft in texture and may have many uses here in Japan where squid is high in demand and low in supply… ” Read more
— Naruhiro Nagasawa, President of Tokyo Central Wholesale Market
“During the culinary event we held in Los Angeles last November for the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, several dishes with Magister Squid were served by the famous guest chef from Japan, and the feedback from customers was positive. In Japan too, members of our association worked with your squid and see potential in it as an ingredient to be used in our member’s restaurants.… ” Read more
— Kensuke Miyake, Chairman of the Association for the Advancement of the Japanese Culinary Arts
Automated Squid Jigging Machines
Small Vessel Squid Jigging Machine
Hamade, Inc. is largest Japan manufacturer of squid jigging machines. A factory look at the smallest of their jigging machines proved very helpful. The model shown would be equipped with two line drums per machine and can be electronically set to any depth, jigging frequency, and retrieval speed by the operator. Four machines can be operated from the captain's helm with a remote control panel.
New Fishery Will Use Jigging Machines
Magister Squid will be a new species of squid caught in North America. The only other country commercially fishing and exporting this species is Russia. There are other squid species harvested in US waters, but all currently use nets to harvest squid in their fisheries. This new squid fishery in Alaska will use automated squid jigging machines which have little or no bycatch of other non-directed species.
See The Jigging Machine In Action
We tagged along with Mr. Sato in Hakodate, Japan to explore the use of the squid jigging machines on his 60 ft squid fishing boat. Mr. Sato has been fishing since he was 15 years old and now operates his vessel alone.