Octopus bloom brings export gains and shellfish concerns

A sharp rise in octopus numbers off southwest Britain is creating a valuable new fishery while adding pressure to shellfish businesses, according to research discussed at a government-hosted conference on October 15. Fishermen, scientists and fisheries managers met to consider the bloom and possible responses. No new management measures were announced. A report led by the Marine Biological Association found that common-octopus landings in southwest UK waters in 2025 were nearly 65 times the annual average recorded from 2017 through 2024. Separately, figures from Seafish show the value of UK octopus exports climbed from £164,000 in 2024 to £12.8 million in 2025, with demand mainly from France and Spain. The gains have not been shared evenly. In a survey of 40 fishermen, 57.6% of crab and lobster fishermen surveyed said the bloom hurt their business between January and August 2025. Another 27.3% reported a benefit and 15.2% said it had a neutral effect. The Marine Biological Association-led report also found that, in ICES area 7e, brown crab and king scallop landings fell by about 50% in January-September 2025 compared with the same period in 2024. Lobster landings declined by...