It’s Show Time! : Changing weather conditions signal the mollusks to move to shore to spawn and fishermen to begin the harvest.

For some Ventura County fishermen and seafood restaurateurs, fall is marked each year by a massive spontaneous migration of squid to local waters.

Like clockwork, the squid arrive yearly in an instinctive spawning rush. And so the fishermen return with their nets to designated locations offshore, where a bountiful harvest awaits.

The five or six months of the migration--usually lasting through early spring--open a window of opportunity for area seafood outlets to offer fresh, reasonably priced squid. Most of that will be prepared in the form of calamari, either served in the traditional manner--pounded squid fillets lightly breaded and fried--or in a cold, marinated salad.

“Now is the time of year to enjoy fresh-caught squid in this area,” said Joe Carabajal, manager of Otani Izzy Fish Market in Oxnard. “There just aren’t enough around to fish at any other time.”

Enjoy while locally harvested squid is available, because the likely alternative in the off-season is the less-desired frozen fillet.

“You can get it out of season from a broker,” Carabajal said, “but it’s going to be expensive.”

For now, given the proximity to the catch, local fanciers can purchase their fill of squid the same day it is hauled in.

“We buy from the fishermen as soon as they come back to port in the morning,” Carabajal said. “From there it goes right to our cold case for purchase.”

Ventura County could be called the squid capital of the West Coast, said John Borman, president of Gold Coast Calamari, a squid processing plant in Oxnard.

“Eighty-five percent of all squid landed along the West Coast is taken from this area,” Borman said. “Most of that is exported to Europe and Japan.” (Borman also operates Gold Coast Fishery, which operates a fleet of fishing vessels.)

And what brings the squid to Ventura County waters?

According to Channel Islands National Park marine biologist Gary Davis, the annual migration is prompted by a change in weather and ocean patterns.

Normally the area gets summer storms from the south--at which time the squid are far out at sea, Davis said. As winter nears, wind and water currents change and begin to come from the north. “With the onslaught of this weather,” he said, “the squid receive their clue to begin spawning.”

Instinct tells the squid--a highly evolved mollusk--to migrate to shallower, warmer waters. “They concentrate in huge aggregations,” said Davis, “laying their eggs on the bottom of the ocean, millions upon millions.”

Enter the fishermen.

To fish squid properly, they must do so when the sky is its blackest.

“The boats are out hauling in squid in the dead of night,” Carabajal said. “They attract the squid by shining the surface of the water with huge light bulbs--about as big as watermelons.”

As the water’s surface is illuminated, the squid--seemingly mesmerized by the brilliant light--rise from the depths.

“They swim to the top of the water and just start flopping on the surface,” Carabajal said.

The nets are lowered and the squid are hoisted aboard and into holding tanks.

“Right now off Ventura County waters,” he said, “a single boat is able to bring in 50 to 100 tons in one night.”

Why are the squid enticed by the light?

“They’re not attracted to the light at all,” Davis said. Tiny organisms known as plankton, which the squid feed upon, are attracted to the light and will concentrate where it is shining.

“Squid have extremely well developed eyes,” Davis said. “They are visual feeders.” The squid simply trail their food source to the surface where they meet their fate.

“Their evolution is doing them in,” Davis said.

When purchasing squid--normally sold whole--Carabajal said there are a couple of ways to ensure you are indeed buying fresh.

“A market shouldn’t hold squid for more than two or three days,” he said. “After that, the skin begins to turn a purple shade. Also, when it gets old, it will have a definite smell to it.”

After it is purchased, the squid should be cleaned and gutted immediately after the customer brings it home, Carabajal said. “It will hold up a couple more days after that.”

SERVING SUGGESTION / CALAMARI

This week’s recipe was provided by George White, owner of Moby Dick Seafood in Ventura.

White’s Italian Sauted Calamari sounds tasty and is simple to prepare. For a family of four, he suggests the following amounts:

2 pounds fresh, whole squid

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 or 4 finely chopped garlic cloves

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 teaspoon basil or oregano, depending on taste preference

After cleaning squid, cut into 1/4-inch rings. Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook until golden. Add squid to oil and garlic. Saute squid for about 60 to 90 seconds.

“You’re simply warming it through,” White said. “You don’t want to overcook it because it will turn into rubber.”

This preparation can be served as an appetizer or as an entree, White suggested.

“To make a main course out of it, simply serve it over a portion of rice or linguine.”

Cleaning your fresh squid:

Rinse of the squid with cold water and separate the head and tentacles from the body (referred to as the tube or cap).

Next, remove the elongated, bone-like cartilage from the inside of the tube.

“This is called the mantle,” White said. “It simply slides right out.”

Strip the skin--easily removable when pulled by hand--off of the flesh.