Fisheries for common octopus in Europe: socioeconomic importance and management
Introduction
The global overexploitation and depletion of many finfish species over the last few decades (FAO, 2018) has led to an increase in the commercial importance of other marine resources, such as cephalopods (i.e., squids, cuttlefishes and octopuses) (Pierce and Portela, 2014; Hunsicker et al., 2010; Pierce et al., 2010; Caddy and Rodhouse, 1998). Forty years ago, the Japanese fishery for Todarodes pacificus was the only significant cephalopod fishery in the world (Pierce and Portela, 2014). Cephalopods were exploited only in a few ocean regions, such as the northwest and central Pacific, the northwest African coasts, the northwest and southwest Atlantic, and the Mediterranean Sea (Villasante et al., 2014; Caddy, 1983). In the beginning of the 1980s, Caddy (1983) predicted cephalopods to be a resource with potential to support a high level of local exploitation in the near future. This prediction did indeed materialize, and cephalopods are now highly valuable commercial fishery resources, with world cephalopod landings having risen eight-fold from 1950 to 2014, the year landings peaked at 4.86 million tonnes. However, have since decreased, accounting for 3.64 million ton in 2018, according to FAO statistics.
Cephalopods are typically caught by both industrial fleets (trawlers and jiggers) and small-scale artisanal fleets worldwide. An important aspect of cephalopod fishing in many parts of the world is the high importance of these resources for small-scale artisanal fisheries (Pita et al., 2015; Pierce et al., 2010). This is the case in southern European waters, where small-scale directed coastal fisheries for octopus, cuttlefish and squid have increased in the last decades (Sauer et al., 2019). In Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece, cephalopods have long been important target species for fishers using a variety of artisanal gears (Pierce et al., 2010) and are nowadays increasingly important fishery resources in terms of quantities landed and particularly in terms of commercial value. According to EUROSTAT statistics, these four countries together account for an average of 77 % of the value of all cephalopods landed in the European Union (EU) (Table 1). In addition, cephalopods are traditionally consumed in southern European countries, with Spain and Italy (together with Japan and the United States), being the most important consumer markets worldwide (FAO, 2018).
The common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) is the most important commercially harvested octopus species in the EU. It is widely distributed in European continental shelf waters and is tolerant of a wide range of water temperatures and salinities, although the probability of occurrence of the species varies with sea bottom temperature, sea bottom salinity, surface dissolved oxygen and sea surface chlorophyll-a and it seems to prefer coarse sediments providing shelter. Spawners prefer areas of moderate depth with hard bottom substrate (Guerra et al., 2015; Jereb et al., 2015; Moreno et al., 2014; Hermosilla et al., 2011). This species is fished at depths between 20−200 m in both the northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea mainly by small-scale coastal fleets using hand-jigs, pots, traps, fyke-nets and trammel nets, but also by trawlers, especially in deeper waters (Sauer et al., 2019; Silva et al., 2019; Sonderblohm et al., 2017; Pita et al., 2015; Pierce and Portela, 2014; Pierce et al., 2010; Bañón et al., 2007; Tsangridis et al., 2002; Lefkaditou et al., 2002). Other octopus species caught in Europe include the horned and musky octopuses (Eledone cirrhosa and Eledone moschata, respectively). They are important commercial species in some parts of Europe, such as the Mediterranean Sea and Galicia (Sauer et al., 2019; Regueira et al., 2014; Sartor et al., 1998), while in other parts they tend to be routinely discarded, with a small amount being landed by trawling fleets (Sauer et al., 2019).
Inshore local small-scale fishing fleets targeting the common octopus in Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece are of considerable socio-economic importance in terms of providing employment and income in coastal fishing communities. The importance of the common octopus fisheries is higher than can be estimated looking at official landings, in part because these are not well-documented and are often underreported, being probably underestimated in the official statistics (Bañón et al., 2018; Villasante et al., 2016; Pita et al., 2015; Otero et al., 2005). Nevertheless, common octopus fisheries are often quite variable, with a strong seasonal dependence and marked variation in landings between years, reflecting a strong influence of environmental conditions (Pierce et al., 2008). This affects octopus’ availability and market values, with obvious economic and social impacts.
Despite the increasing economic importance of octopus fisheries in the EU, these species have long been considered of minor commercial importance and information about this resource, especially its human dimensions (social, economic, cultural and institutional aspects) is scarce. As identified a decade ago by Pierce et al. (2010), in a review of cephalopods fisheries in Europe, there was (and still is) an urgent need for a detailed analysis of the economic and social importance of these fisheries at the local and national levels, as well as an evaluation of the systems of governance.
This manuscript focuses on some of the most important fisheries targeting the common octopus in Europe: the Algarve (Portugal), Andalucía and Galicia (Spain), Sardinia (Italy) and the Thracian Sea (Greece) (Fig. 1). It describes the current status of these fisheries, covering their socioeconomic importance, management arrangements and governance systems, and discusses the opportunities and challenges for their future.
Section snippets
Algarve, Portugal
In Portuguese waters, fishing for the common octopus is a traditional activity which dates as far back as the 15th century, with reports of octopus caught and exported from the Algarve region, south of Portugal (Godinho, 1963). Nowadays, the common octopus is one of the most important fishery resources in Portugal, being consistently one of the most valuable species at first sale (Pita et al., 2015). In 2019, octopus was the most important species landed, representing 12 % of the official first
Fisheries management
Cephalopods fisheries in Europe are excluded from Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and quota regulations under the scope of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The existing management arrangements for the various fisheries across the EU have evolved under the tutelage of national and/or local governments. Southern European countries manage their cephalopod fisheries most actively, possibly a reflection of the antiquity of the exploitation and the economic importance of these resources (Pierce et al.,
Markets and trade of common octopus in Europe
Octopus is a global traded commodity and the EU plays an important role in global octopus seafood markets, with Spain currently a key actor, being a major global supplier of octopus (Villasante et al., 2019) (Fig. 2A). Demand for octopus is also strong in the EU, as well as in Japan, and continues to grow in the USA (FAO, 2019), making these markets the most important importers of octopus globally. Most of the octopus imported into the EU goes to the Spanish, Italian and Portuguese markets.
Challenges for the future of European common octopus fisheries
The main challenges for the common octopus fisheries in Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece are quite similar, and all orbit around the correct management of the fishery so as to avoid overfishing. Current issues with the common octopus fisheries in the several countries include excessive effort, illegal fishing, exploitation of undersized octopus, and lack of effective surveillance and monitoring and control of the fishing activity, as well as the general lack of routine assessment of stock
Conclusions and recommendations
The increased market demand for cephalopods and growing interest in targeting octopus in southern Europe means that even small-scale coastal fisheries can no longer be assumed to be sustainable. The expansion of small-scale octopus fisheries reflects a change in coastal fisheries due, partly, to the depletion of finfish resources and the rise in price per unit of octopus due to the increased market interest for this species. There are many small-scale directed octopus fisheries in European
Funding
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The print of figures in colour were financed by the INTERREG project CephsandChefs (EAPA 282/2016).
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Acknowledgements
CP, KR, TF, FM would like to acknowledge FCT/MCTES national funds for the financial support to CESAM (UID/AMB/50017/2019). CP and TF acknowledge support from the Mar2020 project LESSisMORE (02/SAICT/2017). CP, KR, FM, GJP and SV acknowledge support from the INTERREG CephsandChefs project (EAPA 282/2016). AG would like to acknowledge the CALECO project (CTM2015-69519-R). The authors would also like to acknowledge the collaboration of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea
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