Octopus catches in British waters rise by nearly 1,500% since 2021 — Cyprus Mail

Octopus numbers in UK waters have risen sharply: catch volumes have increased by nearly 1,500% since 2021, exceeding 3,700 tonnes compared with an average of about 220 tonnes a year. Unusually warm seas have given fishers a new lucrative catch, but the predators are also reducing stocks of crabs, lobsters and scallops.

As Cyprus Mail reports, fishers, regulators and scientists met at a government-organized conference this week to discuss management of the new fishery. The government said the meeting's findings would be considered in future decisions on this fishery.

A new export commodity

The value of British octopus exports rose to £12.8 million, or $17 million, in 2025, compared with £164,000 a year earlier. Buyers from France and Spain accounted for the main demand, according to industry organization Seafish.

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At the same time, more than half of British fishers surveyed by researchers reported a negative impact from octopus predation on crab, lobster and scallop stocks. In some fisheries, catches of these species fell by 30–50%, while losses for affected fisheries exceeded £10 million in 2025.

The largest surge in 75 years

Scientists describe the current spread of octopuses off southwest Britain as the largest in at least 75 years. They have also recorded mass breeding of the common octopus in British waters.

Among the likely factors, researchers cite warming water, as well as sea currents and winds that may have carried larvae north from France and the Channel Islands. A study published this year found that every major surge in octopus numbers in the region over the past 125 years coincided with abnormally warm sea conditions.