Octopus

• Western Australian Octopus Interim Managed Fishery, Cockburn Sound Line and Pot Managed Fishery, West Coast Rock Lobster Fishery (487t in 2020/21)

In WA, octopus is caught using unbaited and baited traps and pots, which are selective methods of fishing that have minimal impacts on seafloor habitats and threatened species. Shelter pots (which are unbaited, attracting octopus by providing habitat) and trigger traps (which use an artificial, crab imitation lure and a trap mechanism) are used, with a small amount of catch retained as byproduct in baited rock lobster pots. These fishing methods pose low risk to seabed habitats and have low levels of bycatch.

There are potential risks of whale entanglement, as the fishery operates along a migratory route for humpback whales, but current fishing levels and management settings are highly unlikely to harm whale populations.

While Australian octopus fisheries are generally poorly understood, with little information on the species caught or structure of octopus populations, recent research has determined that the WA octopus fishery targets a new species (Octopus djinda), and not, as previously thought, the ‘common octopus’ Octopus tetricus found on Australia’s east coast. Efforts to better understand the species and its biology from managers are welcome. Fishers have innovated in developing fishing gear that reduces the (already low) risk to habitats and bycatch species.

The WA octopus stock is considered underutilised and developmental, and catch is being allowed to expand in a structured manner. There is some concern that octopus catches are increasing very rapidly, and while there is no immediate concern that overfishing is occurring, it is not yet clear if fishery management arrangements will be able to adequately restrain fishing impacts before overfishing occurs. This has resulted in the precautionary downgrade to an Eat Less GoodFish ranking in the current assessment.

Marine parks provide a small degree of additional protection in some areas of the fishery.

• Tasmanian Octopus Fishery, Tasmanian Scalefish Fishery and the Tasmanian Rock Lobster Fishery (129t in 2018/19).

The Tasmanian  octopus fishery has been given a precautionary amber ranking because of the recent record high catch (it was formerly green), which was well above the long term average for the fishery. If this catch rate is sustained,  stocks could become overfished. There are currently inadequate constraints on the catch in Tasmania. However, this ranking has a strong potential to improve if more robust proposed management arrangements are introduced, including a limit to catches to better control fishing.

In Tasmania, octopus is caught using unbaited traps and pots, which are selective methods of fishing that have minimal impacts on seafloor habitats and threatened species. Shelter pots (which are unbaited, attracting octopus by providing habitat) are used, with a small amount of catch retained as byproduct in baited rock lobster pots. These fishing methods pose low risk to seabed habitats and have low levels of bycatch.

• Victorian Octopus Fishery and Rock Lobster Fishery (89t in 2018/19, 41t in 2017/18)

The pot and trap method used to catch octopus in Victoria is highly targeted, has very low impacts on seafloor habitats, and fishing poses a low risk to protected species.

Formal management arrangements for the Victorian Octopus fishery were established in 2020 and efforts are underway to better understand population structure, introduce species-specific management and understand the biological attributes of the main target species – pale octopus.

There are no serious sustainability concerns at present, provided management is reactive and responsive to new information as it becomes available. The vulnerability of the octopus caught is still considered low because they grow and reproduce quickly, making them resilient to fishing pressure. However, catches have increased very significantly in recent years and there is not yet evidence to demonstrate that the permitted increase in fishing activity will be sustainable into the future.

This ranking has a strong potential to improve if management arrangements are responsive to the findings of the research currently underway by the Victorian government.

Although there are no robust reporting arrangements for bycatch and discards in place, levels of both are expected to be low in most Victorian octopus fisheries due to the nature of the fishing gear used.  Most octopus in Victoria are caught using shelter pots (which are unbaited, attracting octopus by providing habitat), which have no or negligible catch of other species and cause little impact to seafloor habitats. There is a small amount of catch retained as byproduct in baited rock lobster pots and in haul seine nets which also have a more significant level of bycatch and discards. Octopus is also taken in gillnets and bottom trawl fisheries, which can have much higher levels of bycatch and more significant habitat impacts.

Choose pot or haul seine caught Victorian octopus if possible, as these are a more sustainable choice with much lower impacts on overfished or protected bycatch species, or seafloor habitats.

• South Australian Rock Lobster Fisheries, West Coast, Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent Prawn Trawl  Fisheries, Marine Scalefish Fishery (current catch not disclosed but >49t in 2020/21)

In South Australia, octopus catch comes primarily as retained bycatch in pot fisheries targeting rock lobsters. Octopus is also targeted in a new developmental fishery using shelter pots (which are unbaited, attracting octopus by providing habitat). These fishing methods pose low risk to seabed habitats and have low levels of bycatch. Octopus is also taken in gillnets and bottom trawl fisheries, which can have much higher levels of bycatch and more significant habitat impacts. There is little information available to assess the habitat and bycatch impacts of any of these fisheries, however.

Australian octopus fisheries are generally poorly understood, with little information on the species caught or structure of octopus populations. Multiple octopus species are caught including Maori, Pale and Southern Octopus. There is little information on the octopus catch and no explicit management controls for octopus catch in South Australian fisheries.

The lack of information supporting management in SA Octopus fisheries presents some concern as the overall catch is significant. The developmental target fishery uses a very low risk fishing method, and the pot and trawl fisheries in which they are caught as byproduct pose acceptably low risks to habitats, bycatch and protected species.

Marine park protection throughout State and Commonwealth waters is likely to provide a small additional degree of protection for octopus populations.

• NSW Ocean Trawl Fishery, Estuary Prawn Trawl Fishery, Estuary General Fishery, Lobster Fishery (195t in 2016-17)

In New South Wales, around 90% of octopus catch comes primarily as retained bycatch in trawl fisheries targeting prawns and fish. They are also caught in pot fisheries targeting rock lobsters in NSW. Pot fishing methods pose significantly lower risk to seabed habitats and have much lower levels of bycatch compared to bottom trawling. There is little information available to assess the habitat and bycatch impacts of any of these fisheries, but it is notable that trawl-caught octopus comes from fisheries that have a significantly higher level of bycatch and seafloor habitat disturbance.

Catches have declined significantly from the historical peaks of 400t-800t in the 1990s. It is not clear why this has happened but it may be related to reductions in prawn trawling efforts over this period.

There is little information available to assess the habitat and bycatch impacts of any of these fisheries, but it is notable that trawl-caught octopus comes from fisheries that have a significantly higher level of bycatch and seafloor habitat disturbance.

Protected species interactions occur in NSW trawl fisheries. Interaction reports from the NSW fishery indicate that seahorses, pipefish, sharks and rays are commonly caught. Lobster pot fisheries that retain octopus have much lower levels of protected or endangered species bycatch.

In reporting provided by the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) in 2021 as part of the accreditation to export overseas, no threatened and endangered species bycatch was reported for two of the five most recent fishing years in the NSW trawl fishery.This reporting is considered an unlikely reflection of the fishery’s real impacts.

At the time of writing, a research observer program had been completed based on data from 2017-19, but this data has not been published so it is not possible to understand the impact of the trawl fishery.

Marine parks in NSW provide the most effective science based protection from the significant ecological risks posed by trawling, but alarmingly, at the time of writing, the NSW Government was considering opening highly protected marine parks to fishing.

• Thailand (~880t in 2014-15)
• China (~350t in 2014-15)
• Vietnam (~130t in 2014-15)
• Malaysia (~120t in 2014-15)

Analysis of fisheries that catch octopus in Chinese and Southeast Asian fisheries is complex, as octopus is caught in a number of different fisheries managed by different countries. These fisheries catch a wide range of species, including species of octopus, squid and finfish. In addition, accessing reports is problematic and the quality of management varies across the region. China also has a large distant water fishing fleet, which means that the vessels fish around the world, not just in waters bordering their country.

Regional assessments of fisheries in Southeast Asia indicates that in general, high fishing pressure on a range of species, including octopus species, in coastal waters has led to declining catches across the region, with many species of octopus now overfished. Whereas fishing effort was previously concentrated in coastal waters, overfishing has pushed fisheries further offshore, transferring fishing pressure to deeper water species. It is not clear from available reports what management actions have been implemented to allow stocks of overfished octopus to recover. Issues of under-reporting of the amount of octopus (and other species) caught in the Chinese fisheries have also been identified, and there is minimal monitoring and management of this fleet.

There is generally weak management to ensure that overfishing is not occurring, as well as a lack of information on the volume of octopus landed in any of these regions.

Octopus is mainly caught using trawl fishing gear. Studies have identified that trawling for octopus and squid has damaged large areas of coral reef habitat in parts of Southeast Asia. For example, around 80% of corals in Thai waters have been damaged or destroyed as a result of fishing gear impacts, although it is not clear what proportion of this is as a result of trawling for octopus.

In regional assessments of fishing impacts, trawl fishing has been identified as a key threat to a number of different species of vulnerable marine wildlife, including dugongs and turtles. Dugong populations have been decimated to the point of local extinction in some areas, and green, hawksbill and olive ridley turtles are caught in trawl fisheries in Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand. Whilst there have been improvements in fisheries management in recent years, it is not yet clear whether efforts to reduce mortality of threatened species have been successful.