Octopuses on the rise in local waters
Andy Brown speaks to the marine biology secretary of La Societe and a shellfish supplier about the impact of a rise in numbers of octopuses in local waters
THE octopus is a 'smart hunter', according to the secretary of the marine biology section of La Societe.
They are an important part of the food chain, said Nicky Harris – but a problem for fishermen.
Their diet features shellfish and crustaceans and even other octopuses, and so they may well take advantage of prepared meals from a parlour pot.
‘I do feel for the fishermen who are seeing an increase of octopi [sic] in their pots that are affecting their catches,’ she said.
‘Personally, I’m a recreational diver, and saw my first common octopus in Guernsey last year – it was an amazing experience, something you think you would only get to see in the Caribbean or Mediterranean.’
She said there had been periods in France and other regions where octopus populations boom.
‘They can reach plague-like proportions, but this is then followed by a sharp drop-off of the population,’ she said.
‘As part of a well-functioning food web, octopi are natural prey of marine mammals such as seals and dolphins – Risso’s dolphins are particular cephalopod fans, so hopefully we can learn to appreciate bigger predators in our waters helping to also keep things in balance.’
She added that climate change was going to continue to affect our waters.
‘It’s not exactly like we can “wish” the species away, so I hope it will be possible for Guernsey fishermen to take advantage of the changes and see octopus as a viable new commercial species and delicacy as Jersey have begun to do. It’s really important that sightings for both of these species are recorded in catch-logs, or sent to the biological records centre so that the population trends can be monitored and reported on for public and industry.’
It is estimated 20,000 tonnes of octopuses are being caught in European waters every year.
UK supermarkets rarely sell octopuses, but specialist fishmongers do have them listed. Frozen Fish Direct sells frozen small octopuses for £26 on its website, while one over 2kg would cost £40.
The texture of cooked octopus meat is slightly chewy with white, opaque colour.
