resemble miniature adults and are already strong swimmers. They exhibit schooling behaviour two weeks after hatching. Hatchlings are often cannibalistic. This is regarded as the main cause of death in young squids, particularly in dense populations. However, cannibalism usually happens only when eaten individuals were already weakened significantly or dead, so the actual cause of death may have been something else. Subadults are usually recognisable by their size, ranging from in length. They reach sexual maturity at less than 210 days in the wild. Males reach sexual maturity earlier than females. In captive populations, males mature 140 days after hatching at most. Females will begin spawning at around 156 to 196 days after hatching. Both males and females mature earlier in captivity than in the wild. Water temperature may play an important role in the earlier sexual maturation of captive specimens. High temperatures may induce shorter lifespans and smaller body sizes, while cooler temperatures favour longer lifespans and larger individuals. Bigfin reef squids have one of the fastest recorded growth rates for any large marine invertebrate. They can reach in only four months. Nonetheless, size can not often be reliably correlated with age, as variations of body size within a generation is fairly common. In captivity, bigfin reef squids have a lifespan of 161 to 315 days for both sexes. Economic importance Commercial fishing and human consumption Bigfin reef squids are one of the most commercially important squid species, and are widely consumed as human food. They are usually caught in large numbers by trawling, seine fishing, or fixed net traps. In small-scale fishing, they are caught by jigging, drive-in nets, slingshot-driven spearguns, or with squid pots. Fishing operations for bigfin reef squids (particularly in jigging) are usually done at night and utilise bright lights, taking advantage of their attraction to illumination. They are especially abundant during the full moon and in foggy weather. Populations of bigfin reef squids are not seasonal, and they can be fished throughout the year. They are also used as fish bait in hook and line fishing. Because of their rapid growth rate, short life span, and tolerance to handling and captivity, bigfin reef squids are regarded as one of the most promising species for mariculture. Although there have been several studies about this, there have been no reported commercial-scale cultures, as of 2011. Biomedical research The bigfin reef squid is the first squid species