Octopus surge leads to proposed boat limits
BBCFishing boats capitalising on a boom in octopus catches could soon face strict limits, as fears grow for struggling crab and lobster stocks.
The Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority said it was considering emergency rules to cap the size of vessels using pots for octopus, after a "huge increase" in catching octopuses which had seen an "unprecedented" rise in numbers.
A report warned that the surge was "adversely affecting local crustacean stocks" by drawing more crabs and lobsters into the same areas.
Regulators said larger vessels were moving inshore and deploying up to 2,000 pots which risked making crustaceans easier targets for octopuses which preyed on shellfish.
The report also said there were concerns that some fishers had used undersized crabs and lobsters as bait instead of returning them, placing "further pressure on crab and lobster stocks".
Lack of permits and reporting for octopus fishing made it harder to manage the growing pressure it added.
The authority's chief officer Samantha Davis said the situation had escalated rapidly and "the urgency of the situation requires the making of an IFCA emergency byelaw".
Under the plans, mono-hull vessels would be limited to 12m (39ft) and multi-hull vessels to 10m (33ft).
If approved at a meeting on Friday, the bylaw would come into force on 1 July for up to 12 months, with a possible six-month extension while longer-term rules were drawn up.
Kirsty AndrewsOctopuses are increasingly making British waters their home, attracted by warmer sea temperatures, researchers have said, after the population of the species surged in 2025.
Fishers in Devon and Cornwall have been landing record amounts of octopus at strong prices with one day's catch earning a record £500,000 in Brixham.
