Content uploaded by Felipe A. Briceño
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Felipe A. Briceño on Aug 16, 2020
Content may be subject to copyright.
A preview of the PDF is not available
World Octopus Fisheries
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that coastal and shelf cephalopod populations have increased globally over the last six decades. Although cephalopod landings are dominated by the squid fishery, which represents nearly 80% of the worldwide cephalopod catches, octopuses and cuttlefishes represent ∼10% each. Total reported global production of octopuses over the past three decades indicates a relatively steady increase in catch, almost doubling from 179,042 t in 1980 to 355,239 t in 2014. Octopus fisheries are likely to continue to grow in importance and magnitude as many finfish stocks are either fully or over-exploited. More than twenty described octopus species are harvested from some 90 countries worldwide. The current review describes the major octopus fisheries around the globe, providing an overview of species targeted, ecological and biological features of exploited stocks, catches and the key aspects of management.
... In deeper habitat below 30 m, it similarly occupies submarine features such as mounds, slopes, or ridges adjacent to flatter basin habitats on which they apparently forage but quickly leave (Scheel, 2002;Scheel et al., 2007;Smith, 2012). This behaviour is similar to that recorded from video data amongst Octopus tetricus in Australia adjacent to shellfish beds (Scheel et al., 2014 Enteroctopus dofleini is the most commercially important octopus species in Japan (Sauer et al., 2019). Annual catches total around 20,000 t, with most coming from coastal waters in Hokkaido, and smaller amounts coming from northern Honshu. ...
... During 1985During -2021 Enteroctopus dofleini is the most common large octopus along the west coast of North America. There are currently no directed octopus fisheries in this region, but substantial bycatch of octopuses occurs in trawl, longline, and pot fisheries (Sauer et al., 2019). At least nine octopus species occur in this region, and fishery managers do not receive species-specific data, but E. dofleini is thought to compose the bulk of the octopus bycatch (Reuter et al., 2010;Ormseth et al., 2018;Ormseth, 2019). ...
... s0050 British Columbia p0080 Nine species of octopuses have been recorded from British Columbia, but E. dofleini has attracted the most commercial interest (Gillespie et al., 1998;Sauer et al., 2019). Commercial catch records in British Columbia of octopus begin in 1964, and annual catches were 50 t until the mid-1980s when demand for bait in the Pacific halibut fishery resulted in the growth of a directed dive fishery for E. dofleini (Gillespie et al., 1998). ...
... The most diverse family is the Octopodidae (153 species), and the most diverse genera in the family are Octopus (80 species), Amphioctopus (16 species), Pinnoctopus (11 species), and Abdopus (seven species; see Fig. 2.2 of Chapter 2). Most of these octopus species thrive on the continental shelves, where they play essential ecological roles both as predators and prey (Boyle & Rodhouse, 2005), and support highly valuable small-scale fisheries around the world (Sauer et al., 2021). Octopuses represent around 10% of the worldwide cephalopod catches and are likely to continue to grow in importance as a consequence of the overexploitation and depletion of commercial finfish stocks and subsequent reduction of predation and competition pressure (Doubleday et al., 2016;Pita et al., 2021;Sauer et al., 2021). ...
... Most of these octopus species thrive on the continental shelves, where they play essential ecological roles both as predators and prey (Boyle & Rodhouse, 2005), and support highly valuable small-scale fisheries around the world (Sauer et al., 2021). Octopuses represent around 10% of the worldwide cephalopod catches and are likely to continue to grow in importance as a consequence of the overexploitation and depletion of commercial finfish stocks and subsequent reduction of predation and competition pressure (Doubleday et al., 2016;Pita et al., 2021;Sauer et al., 2021). ...
... In contrast to many marine fish stocks, cephalopod populations appear to have increased at a global scale over the last six decades, partly due to a reduction in predator abundance due to overfishing of commercially targeted finfish (Doubleday et al., 2016;Sauer et al., 2021), and expanding markets which remove gastronomic barriers (Coronado et al., 2020). According to the FAO (2023), global octopus landings reached around 380,000 t in 2020, with China accounting for 28% of the total, followed by West African countries Morocco and Mauritania with 24%. ...
This chapter describes past and present publication trends in octopus research following a systematic mapping approach. Publication rates in popular research topics such as life history and ecology are decreasing, while others are increasing and taking the spotlight. Interest in behaviour has seen a considerable uptick in recent years. Also, rapid advances, emerging tools, and widespread access to DNA sequence information have stimulated an increased focus on topics relating to genomics & evolution. Research related to diversity & bBiogeo-graphy is also increasing, especially in the context of the concurrent biodiversity and climate crises. Although global change represents the least studied topic to date, interest has increased tremendously over the past 5 years, with more than double the publication rate observed for behaviour (the topic with the second largest publication rate). Our analysis also provides a geographical perspective; the food and argriculture organization region with the most octopus-related studies is the Mediterranean, followed by the Northeast and Western-Central Atlantic Ocean. Regarding species of interest, Octopus vulgaris stands out as the overwhelming front-runner Octopus Biology and Ecology. https://doi. 421 representing more than half of all records and over five times more than the second most studied species, Octopus maya. We also provide a discussion on future directions for key subjects, including behaviour and cognition, iEcology and citizen science, bio-robotics, deep-sea research, climate change, and culture and welfare, among others, with the hope of providing an agenda for future research.
... 2 Distribution and abundance 2.1 Geographic distribution O. maya is endemic to the shallow waters of the Campeche Bank, the broad continental shelf of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico (Fig. 7.2;Sauer et al., 2019). Its abundance decreases toward deeper waters, although in the northeastern part of the Bank, it might be found at depths 30-60m, together with Octopus americanus (Avendaño et al., 2019(Avendaño et al., , 2020a(Avendaño et al., , 2020b. ...
... This fishery relies on two species, O. maya and O. americanus, with O. maya accounting for two-thirds of the catch. In this century, O. maya mean yearly landings have been 7000t in Campeche State and around 10,400 t in Yucatan state (Galindo-Cort es et al., 2014;Gamboa-Alvarez et al., 2015;Sauer et al., 2019). ...
... Around 20% of the octopus caught off the Yucatan Peninsula (Arreguín-Sánchez et al., 2000;Sauer et al., 2019) is composed of another species closely related to O. maya: (see Avendaño et al., 2020b). This species and O. insularis Leite et al., 2008 were long confused with the East Atlantic and Mediterranean species O. vulgaris Cuvier, 1979). ...
Octopus maya Voss & Solís-Ramírez, 1966 is an ocellate octopus endemic to the shallow waters of Campeche Bank off Yucatan in Mexico and is fished in large numbers off Yucatan and Campeche states, where it is abundant. It matures at a wide range of sizes by December, and size at maturity (BW50%) is 1024g body weight (BW) for females and 484 g for males. Maximum sizes in the wild are 200mm ML and 2500g BW. Females each lay around 700 eggs, which reach 16–17mm in length before hatching after 45–55 days. Hatchlings are benthic and behave like miniature adults, although their ecology in the wild is unknown. The life span is around 1 year. O. maya feeds on crustaceans (mainly crabs), gastropods and bivalves. It supports one of the largest octopus fisheries in the world and is the main fishery resource in Yucatan and Campeche. This fishery employs lines baited with various crab species and since spawning females
(which stop feeding) are not taken, it is sustainable (for O. maya but not the crabs). There has been intensive research on culturing O. maya because of its feasibility for husbandry, and it is the species closest to achieving commercial cultivation. Experiments with embryos,
juveniles and adults indicate that, surprisingly, this tropical endemic species is relatively sensitive to high temperatures exceeding 27°C. In trying to understand more about O. maya and its interactions with its environment, much has been learned about this species and the effects of temperature on its health and reproductive performance, which may also be of help in reaching a
clearer understanding of the biology and ecology of octopuses in general and how they may be affected by global warming.
... The common octopus Octopus vulgaris is a species with high commercial value that supports the most intense octopus fishery of the world (Sauer et al. 2021). Octopus vulgaris is a meropelagic species (Lincoln et al. 1998) whose paralarvae develop in the plankton for several weeks, depending on the water temperature (Villanueva et al. 2016). ...
... Probably, this prey item might actually represent carrion consumption, likely coming from trawl fishery discards or artisanal fishery bait, which is used in the same fishery ground and/or secondary predation mediated by amphipods. Subadult and adult octopuses are known to be scavengers, as they are attracted by the dead bait inside traps (Sauer et al. 2021) or feeded by frozen prey and/or artificial food in the lab (Villanueva et al. 2017), suggesting that scavenger behaviour of juvenile octopuses in the wild also can be expected. ...
The settlement phase is a challenging period for meropelagic octopus, as they adapt to their new life in the sea bottom after a planktonic period. Their ecology and trophic interactions with the surrounding fauna in the wild are practically unknown. To understand their predatory role in the littoral zone, the diet of recently settled Octopus vulgaris from a Mediterranean sandy bottom was studied through molecular methods. Amphipods were present in all the analysed stomach contents, with a total of 20 amphipod taxa recorded as prey. Jassa slatteryi and Microprotopus maculatus were the most commonly found amphipod species. Hydrozoans, decapod crustaceans, cephalopods and bivalves followed amphipods in importance. Niche breadth index assigned to small recently settled octopus the role of a specialised predator, increasing the diversity of prey as they grow. Larger juveniles displayed a higher number of prey taxa suggesting a decreasing predatory specialisation with octopus size and an ontogenetic shift in trophic ecology from diet mainly based on amphipods to a richer diet. The considerable arm elongation and the strong muscular arm crown development after settlement probably allow the juvenile benthic octopus to develop ambush predation and speculative hunting, increasing the range of potential benthic prey species along its adaptation to the benthos.
Graphic abstract
... In terms of cephalopods molluscs, and specifically octopuses, the fishery activity carried out in the Archipelago has been poorly evaluated and regulated, and there is a knowledge gap regarding their taxonomic relationships and conservation status compared with species from other south Pacific islands or South America (Sauer et al. 2021). Currently, two octopus species have been recorded in the JFA, whose identity is still subject to several misidentifications as explained below: Odhner (1922) recorded the presence of octopus specimens initially identified as Octopus tuberculatus Blainville, 1826 and then as O. vulgaris Cuvier, 1797 (Odhner 1926). ...
Oceanic islands are hotspots of marine biodiversity, and biogeographic and evolutionary studies can provide important knowledge about the origin and diversification of the species that inhabit them. In the South Pacific, the Juan Fernández Archipelago (JFA) stands out for its high endemic biota, most of them endangered by human activities. Currently, two octopus species are recognized in JFA, but their taxonomic identity is not conclusive. In the present study, we performed morphometric and molecular analyses of both species inhabiting the JFA and contrast them with other species worldwide. Morphological, phylogenetic analysis, genetic diversity, and divergence times between species were estimated. Morphometric analysis did not show significant differences in body shape of males between/within Octopus species from JFA, only between females from different localities. However, phylogenetic and species delimitation analyses support the presence of two species in the JFA, namely Octopus mimus and Octopus vulgaris. In addition, both species show evidence of different divergence and colonization histories into the JFA during the Pleistocene. These findings do not only shed light on the identity, origin, and colonization time of the species, but also provide the basis to generate informed decisions on management and conservation. The recent colonization time and low genetic diversity observed in both species suggest that these populations are vulnerable to drastic changes, such as those caused by anthropic effects.
Graphical abstract
... The common octopus, O. vulgaris species complex [20], supports large fisheries across its distributional range [4,5], which spans all oceans [21]. Inhabiting the coastal waters of the continental shelf [15], it is typically targeted by small-scale fisheries in depths < 200 m [5]. ...
Octopuses are amongst the most fascinating animals in our oceans; however, while their intricate behaviours are often studied in laboratory settings, basic aspects of their movement ecology remain unstudied in the wild. Focusing on the socio-economically important common octopus (Octopus vulgaris), this study employs, for the first time, acoustic tracking techniques to address knowledge gaps regarding the species spatial ecology within a marine protected area. A total of 24 wild O. vulgaris (13 males, 11 females) were tagged in 2022 in the National Park Maritime-Terrestrial of the Atlantic Islands of Galicia, Spain. Acoustic transmitters were externally attached to the third arm, after testing other body parts (mantle cavity). Males were on average detected on 10 times more occasions than females (49 days in males and five in females). The average activity space in the study area was large in comparison to that determined in similar studies, with 0.16 km². Activity space between males and females as well as day and night were comparable. Tagged octopuses displayed a crepuscular activity pattern. The location of dens could be established for 15 out of 24 individuals, from which octopuses were observed to undertake regular daytime excursions. Several individuals were also found to occupy more than one den and/or switch their main dens throughout the study duration. First implications and benefits of this approach are discussed.
... ). Because O. insularis do not get larger sizes such as O. americanus in Brazil, most of the explored population is targeted by artisanal fisheries for the local market, usually in shallow waters (seeSauer et al., 2021 for details about fishery and management of O. insularis in Brazil). ...
According to experts, octopuses are highly intelligent and sensitive beings, capable of experiencing a wide range of emotions such as pleasure, pain and distress. Originally consumed in the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia, octopus is now increasingly sought after in new parts of the world. These animals with extraordinary cognitive abilities re now the subject of large-scale aquaculture projects, such as the one supported by the Spanish company Nueva Pescanova. Given the numerous ethical, economic, and legal issues raised by these projects, a pragmatic study of their relevance seems crucial. Particularly, the lack of legal provisions regulating the breeding of these invertebrates poses a real threat to industry’s respect for their welfare. Indeed, the absence of legal provisions or best practice guidelines regulating the farming of these invertebrates is a real threat to the respect of their well-being. That being said, an analysis of existing regulations on aquaculture suggests that, in any given case, octopus farms will not be able to respect the complex physiological needs of these animals. Moreover, the development of such farms constitutes a danger to the marine environment and a serious obstacle to the implementation of environmental protection norms. Finally, commercial models based on intensive octopus farming tend to be not economically viable and will inevitably fail to comply with animal welfare and environmental protection legal requirements.
The regulatory framework of the red octopus (Octopus maya) fishery includes total allowable catches (TAC), which are based on studies conducted on the population that occurs in shallow waters. In fact, most of the biological studies of this species refer to the fraction of the population that occupies waters less than 30 m deep; however, O. maya can occur up to a 60 m depth. The aim of this study is to assess the stock of O. maya that occupies waters between 30 m and 60 m deep. Four research cruises were carried out during the closed and fishing seasons , from May 2016 to January 2017. An average of 29 sampling sites were surveyed in each cruise (±2 sampling sites) using a commercial vessel with a uniform sampling effort. In each sampling site, the swept area, the total number of octopuses captured, the total weight of the catch, and the individual weight of octopuses were recorded. Biomass was obtained with four methods: stratified random method, swept area method, geostatistical biomass model, and an unpublished method of weighted swept area. The four methods provided consistent results. The distribution pattern of species was in patches, although before the fishing season started it was more homogeneous. The fraction of the population that occurs between 30 m and 60 m deep consisted mostly of adult organisms, so it could be contributing significantly to the recruitment of the entire population, even to the fraction that is exploited.
Octopus minor is widely distributed along the northern coast of China. To date, there is little information on the prey selection process of this species. To understand this process, several experiments were carried out. Three types of bivalves, namely, Ruditapes philippinarum, Mactra chinensis, and Mytilus edulis, were used to observe the prey selection of O. minor and to analyze the potential causes of prey selection from three aspects: prey profitability, adductor muscle tension and handling time. Under single-prey conditions, we found that the average (±SD) predation rates of O. minor on R. philippinarum, M. chinensis, and M. edulis were 1.73±0.50, 1.27±0.42, and 0.8±0.2/d, respectively. Under different prey combinations, octopods actively selected one type of prey over the other(s), and the order of prey preference was R. philippinarum, followed by M. chinensis and lastly M. edulis. Furthermore, the shells of the consumed prey showed that O. minor only consumed bivalves by pulling them apart since there was no evidence of drill holes on the shells. The prey selection of O. minor was related to the prey profitability and handling time; O. minor appeared to select preys with a higher profitability and a shorter handling time. However, the difficulty in opening the bivalve was not consistent with the prey preference of the octopods. These results suggest that O. minor prefers to consume R. philippinarum possibly due to a high profitability and a short handling time that supports the optimum Foraging Theory.
A few importers of marine products have practiced the fraud of artificially injecting water into Octopus minor for increasing their weights prior to the freezing process. These rampant practices have recently become a serious social issue and threaten public health. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the detection method for artificially water-injected frozen Octopus minor . This study was conducted to develop the nondestructive method for verifying adulterated Octopus minor by measuring dielectric properties using the coaxial probe method. Regardless of weight and measurement locations, a significant difference between ε values from normal octopuses was not observed. The ε values of Octopus minor were decreased in the microwave frequency range between 500 and 3000 MHz. The ε values of water-injected octopuses also showed similar trend with normal octopuses; however, the dielectric loss factor ( ε″ ) values of adulterated octopuses were much lower than normal octopuses. After thawing normal, adulterated, and imported frozen Octopus minor , the ε values measured at the trunk part from these octopuses were compared and statistically analyzed. The ε″ values from normal frozen octopus were significantly different from adulterated and imported frozen octopuses. In addition, the ε″ values from the adulterated frozen octopus group that weight gain rate was less than 20% was significantly different from other adulterated octopus groups with higher weight gain rate than 20%. The ε″ values from adulterated frozen octopus groups with the range of weight gain rate between 20 and 30% were quite similar to imported frozen octopuses. Therefore, it was found that the measurement of ε″ values from Octopus minor has a great possibility to distinguish normal frozen octopuses and artificially water-injected frozen octopuses.
Humans are changing the marine environment at an accelerating rate, causing species decline and loss of natural resources. But counter to these declining trends, some species appear to be thriving in response to environmental change. Focusing on three divergent taxa – algae, jellyfish, and cephalopods – we discuss the concept of adaptable “weedy species” and how they may be the ultimate beneficiaries of rapidly changing marine environments. We then show how such species could benefit society, not only by absorbing human impacts and providing sustainable forms of food, but also by reducing pressure on species in decline. As the world's demand for natural resources continues to grow in a global environment under increasing strain, we should take a closer look at weedy species to see what they can provide.
Global abundances and commercial fisheries of cephalopods have increased over recent decades, creating a need for effective fishery management. This management is often focused on the ability to ascertain the age structure of key populations. There are several main techniques for age and growth rate determination in cephalopods. Because of biological differences between species groups, not all techniques are applicable for every species. This review outlines the use of five main age registering structures (statoliths, gladii, beaks, stylets, and eye lenses) along with one chemical aging technique (lipofuscin) and their application to cephalopod species groups.
The Mayan octopus, Octopus maya, fishery from the Campeche Bank is the largest octopus fishery in the Americas and one of the largest worldwide. This fishery uses a large quantity of crabs, Brachyura, as bait, and these crustacean populations are heavily impacted. To investigate alternative lures we examined the efficacy of various artificial lures ranging from plastic crabs to jigs baited with fish during
the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Artificial PVC “crab” lures showed the best yields. However, their performance was less effective than natural crab in all cases. A simple simulation showed that using these lures, harvests would decrease by 42–44% compared to using natural crab. We suggest the use of PVC crab combined with an organic compound
that releases an attractive scent for octopus in further experiments.
The Australasian region is home to the greatest diversity of cephalopods — squid, cuttlefish, octopuses — in the world. Yet, we know very little about these fascinating marine animals. This book provides insights into the biology and behaviour of more than 60 species. From the Giant Squid to the deadly Blue-ringed Octopus, the secret lives of cephalopods are revealed in a highly readable form with outstanding colour images and informative text. For each species there is a distribution map and identification notes which summarise the main features to look for. While the book focuses on species found in relatively shallow coastal waters, a few of the more bizarre deeper-water species are included. Naturalists, divers, reef-walkers and anglers will find the book authoritative, yet very easy to use. A comprehensive section illustrating cuttlebones will enable beachcombers to identify most of the species they are likely to encounter.
Fishers’ participation in the fishery management decision-making process is generally low, particularly in smallscale
fisheries (SSF). Within the overarching goal of improving fisheries governance, fishers’ participation is
crucial. Yet, how can fishers participate in the decision-making processes which affect their actions, and to what
extent do fisher associations represent their interests? These questions were tackled by means of an empirical
case study in the “Tertúlia do Polvo” project, focusing on the octopus SSF in the Algarve region (south Portugal),
where the octopus fishery is managed top-down with sporadic participation of fishers. During the study (2014
and 2015), seven participatory workshops (tertúlias) were held, involving fisher associations, management authorities
and researchers, to propose and discuss management measures for the fishery. Also, a face-to-face
questionnaire survey (121 valid replies) was undertaken with local fishers to gauge their opinions about the
management measures proposed during the workshops. Results show a strong agreement between the outcomes
achieved during the workshops and the main concerns and possible solutions identified by fishers. Taking into
consideration the difficulty in structuring and assuring a transparent and effective participation of fishers in the
management of their activity, the results obtained are promising. In this study, the use of a participatory process
(restricted to a small group of stakeholders) combined with consultation (targeting a sample of the fisher population)
allowed the validation of the overall results obtained. Such a methodological approach can be tried in
other fishing communities to implement efficient and effective collaborative management, contributing to improved
fisheries governance.