Petersburg Pilot -

Which came first, the magister squid fishery or the magister squid market?

A Juneau charter fishing operator was just awarded a $230,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to find out, and area fishermen might soon have a chance to diversify in the face of declining stocks and high barriers to entry in other markets.

“It’s the chicken and the egg. Do you start researching on how to catch them or if there’s a market?” said Richard Yamada, who’s dedicated the last several years to learning more about magister squid, a species he and some biologists spec...