NEWPORT BEACH (CBS) — Giant squid, some weighing as much as 20 pounds, have been washing up on Orange County beaches the past few days delighting (or perhaps horrifying) locals.

There are hundreds of squid carcasses washed up on beaches all over San Clemente and Oceanside.

While people walking on beaches might not be fond of stepping on the squid, or trying to dodge them, fisherman in Newport Beach couldn’t be happier with their catch of the day. “They’re hauling in bagfuls of jumbo squid,” Michele Gile reported for CBS2 and KCAL9.

One sports fishing expedition on Wednesday went out with 40 people and they came back with 990 of the large creatures. Dave Schmitt of Davey’s Locker Sportsfishing describes the scene as “pure mayhem…and they’re just everywhere.”

Dan Phillips, a fisherman, told Gile the squid are not an easy catch. “It’s hard work,” he says, “they fight hard. You’ve got to remember, you’re working a mechanically, manually-worked reel…and they’re jet propelled.”

The squid, reports Gile, were last seen in Orange County two years ago. The squid, known as Humboldt squid, are usually found in deeper waters so it’s rare for locals to encounter them on sea or land.