Fishermen gain export windfall but ‘highly predatory’ species threatens shellfish stocks
LONDON – A surge in octopus numbers in British waters due to unusually warm seas is presenting fishermen with an interesting new catch — albeit one that is devouring one of their usual staples.
The value of British octopus exports rose to £12.8 million ($17 million) last year from £164,000 a year earlier, with demand driven largely by buyers in France and Spain, according to industry body Seafish.
However, researchers found that more than half of UK fishermen had reported negative impacts from octopus predation on crab, lobster and scallop stocks, with catches in some fisheries falling by 30% to 50% and losses to affected fisheries exceeding £10 million in 2025.
Fishermen, regulators and scientists met this week at a government-hosted conference after British octopus landings jumped nearly 1,500% from 2021, rising to more than 3,700 tonnes from an annual average of about 220 tonnes.
The government said on Friday the conference would help inform future decisions on managing the emerging fishery, a challenge Spain and Australia have also faced in recent years.
Scientists studying the phenomenon say the current bloom is the largest seen off southwest Britain in at least 75 years.
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has even created a web page for fishermen, researchers and the public to report sightings and give feedback on management.
“The sudden arrival of this fast-growing, short-lived and highly predatory species into British waters upends a lot of our established knowledge and expectations about our coastal ecosystems,” said Mike Cohen, CEO of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations.
“They are both a threat and an opportunity for fishermen, and a massive challenge for fisheries management.”
Feasting on shellfish
Anjali Goswami, chief scientific adviser in the government’s environment department, said the surge in octopus numbers in British waters was “a stark reminder of how quickly our marine ecosystem can change”.
While some fishermen have found a valuable new catch almost overnight, others say the predators are damaging shellfish stocks that underpin long-established fisheries.
Researchers have also reported widespread breeding of common octopus in British waters during the current event.
They say warmer waters, together with ocean currents and winds that may have carried octopus larvae north from France and the Channel Islands, are among the most likely contributors to the surge.
Research published this year found that every major octopus bloom recorded in the region over the past 125 years had coincided with unusually warm sea conditions.
