An invading horde of hungry octopuses from the Mediterranean is decimating crab fisheries in British waters.
Shellfish wholesalers say the huge influx has resulted in swingeing cuts to restaurant orders, leaving chefs scrambling to keep their kitchens stocked.
The canny octopuses, thought to have been lured north in their thousands by unusually warm UK waters, have learned to raid fishermen’s pots through a small ‘escape hatch’ – designed to allow juvenile crabs and lobsters to crawl free.
And while they will dine on all shellfish, crab is considered their favourite prey.
The owner of one Devon boat, Brian Tapper, of Plymouth, said: ‘The octopuses are ruining us.
They’re coming in the side hatch – it’s like McDonald’s for them.
They are just sitting in there until they’re full. They’ll go through 50 pots eating lobsters, crabs and even scallops. By the time we come along, there’s nothing left.’
Barry Young, of Brixham Trawler Agents, said the octopuses were ‘decimating the crab fishery’, although boats targeting them were enjoying a bonanza, with more than 27,000kg of the cephalopods landed at Brixham on a single morning last week.
The canny octopuses, thought to have been lured north in their thousands by unusually warm UK waters, have learned to raid fishermen’s pots through a small ‘escape hatch’ – designed to allow juvenile crabs and lobsters to crawl free. Pictured: Stock image
Shellfish wholesalers say the huge influx has resulted in swingeing cuts to restaurant orders, leaving chefs scrambling to keep their kitchens stocked. Pictured: Stock image
‘We’d normally be lucky to get 500 kilos,’ said Mr Young.
‘Long-term, it will be a massive problem for restaurateurs who are trying to source shellfish.’
He added that the last time Brixham saw octopus catches on a similar scale was more than 70 years ago, when spring sea temperatures were also high.
The current ‘marine heatwave’ has meant southern UK waters are around 2.5C higher than normal.
At The Winking Prawn restaurant in Salcombe, manager Andrew Hartle said his Brixham crab order had been cut by a quarter.
He added: ‘We’re lucky because we also work directly with three or four Salcombe boats and can ring around to get what we need. But it’s clear that crab is in very short supply.
‘Restaurants with a single supplier are going to have problems.’
Pot escape hatches are mandatory under a by-law imposed by the Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (D&SIFCA). It will consider next month whether permit rules can be eased.
In a statement, the authority said it was aware of ‘significant difficulties being experienced by the fishing industry… in respect of predation by octopus’.
It added: ‘Fishers are reporting that the entry and exit to pots may be through escape gaps fitted in pots. D&SIFCA is aware that this is having an impact on fishers’ catches of shellfish and their livelihoods.’
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Invading hoard of octopuses from the Mediterranean devour shellfish caught by British fishing crews – leaving shortages at restaurants