Cuttlefish

Scientific Name: Sepia Sp.
Australian Standard Fish Name:  Cuttlefish
AQIS Code: CUT
Australian Species Code: 23 607901
Catch Method:  Wild caught

Other Names:
cuttlefishes; giant cuttlefish; golden cuttlefish; Pharaoh's cuttlefish; Smith's cuttlefish

Cuttlefish Processors 
Cuttlefish Exporters 
Cuttlefish Importers 
Cuttlefish Wholesalers 
Cuttlefish Agents

About Cuttlefish
Cuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida belonging to the Cephalopoda class (which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses). Despite their common name, cuttlefish are not fish but molluscs. Recent studies indicate that cuttlefish are among the most intelligent invertebrate species.

Cuttlefish have an internal shell (cuttlebone), large W-shaped pupils, and eight arms and two tentacles furnished with denticulated suckers, with which they secure their prey.

Cuttlefish eat small molluscs, crabs, shrimp, fish and other cuttlefish. Their predators include dolphins, sharks, fish, seals and other cuttlefish. Their life expectancy is about one to two years.

Cuttlefish are taken as a bycatch by Australian commercial fishermen, mainly in prawn fisheries.

Larger cuttlefish are kept for sale, while smaller ones are only marketed if sufficient quantities are caught.  They are sold in Australia for human consumption and bait.

Cuttlefish primarily feed on demersal fish and crustaceans.

Cuttlefish requires quick cooking if the flesh is not to become tough. It can be stuffed and grilled whole. Tenderise squid and cuttlefish with raw papaya or kiwifruit in milk 2-4 hours before cooking.
 

Recovery Rate
Flesh: 80% of total weight

Other Uses for Cuttlefish
Cuttlebone - Cuttlefish possess an internal structure called the cuttlebone, which is porous and composed of calcium carbonate, to provide the cuttlefish with buoyancy. Buoyancy can be regulated by changing the gas-to-liquid ratio in the chambered cuttlebone. Each species has a distinct shape, size, and pattern of ridges or texture on the cuttlebone. The cuttlebone is unique to cuttlefish, one of the features contrasting them with their squid relatives. Cuttlebones are traditionally used by jewelers and silversmiths as moulds for casting small objects. They are probably better known today as the tough material given to parakeets and other cage birds as a source of dietary calcium.

Cuttlefish Ink - Cuttlefish have ink, like squid and octopuses. This ink was formerly an important dye, called sepia. Today artificial dyes have replaced natural sepia.

Photographs

Cuttlefish Links
FRDC Cuttlefish Info
Wikipedia Encyclopedia

Cuttlefish Recipes
Squid & Calamari Recipes - From Sea-Ex.com

US Food & Drug Administration:
Model Health Certificate - for imports of live bivalve molluscs intended for human consumption

FDA/CFSAN - European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Export Certificates
- European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Export Certificates for Fishery/Aquaculture Products and Live/Raw Molluscan Shellfish

US FDA-EU LIVE MOLLUSCAN SHELLFISH GROWING AREA LIST (AREAS/ZONES) BY STATE for USA

US FDA - EU SEAFOOD PROCESSOR EXPORT CERTIFICATE LISTS
In the past the EU has accepted and used the FDA list of approved seafood establishments for acceptance of U.S. seafood shipments. However, due to a change in EU legislation, the EU began maintaining their own Official List of approved establishments. This has resulted in two separate (and different) lists:

• FDA list of approved establishments
• Official EU list (available in PDF*) updated 04/29/2008

See Also
Squid