Horned octopus

There is concern for the biomass of horned octopus in the UK, however there is no concern for fishing pressure.Route 2 scoring has been applied to this rating due to the lack of reference points for biomass. Horned octopus is considered to have a low to medium vulnerability (28 of 100) to fishing pressure, but the species resilience to fishing pressure is unknown.Horned octopus (Eledone cirrhosa), also known as lesser octopus or curled octopus, is landed routinely in Europe and represent a commercially important bycatch species. It is a common species in Irish and British waters, abundant along the entire Scottish coast, and common in the Celtic Sea and English Channel. Horned octopus are fast-growing and short-lived (typically living 2 years); characteristics likely to support reasonable resilience to fishing pressure. In the UK most octopus (i.e. common octopus; horned octopus; and musky octopus) are taken within ICES Subarea 7 (Bristol Channel, English Channel, Celtic Sea and South West of Ireland).Commercial catches of Octopodidae primarily include the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris), horned octopus (Eledone cirrhosa), and musky octopus (Eledone moschata). Common octopus is more prevalent in southern areas and the Azores, horned octopus is more abundant in northern regions, and musky octopus inhabits southern waters from ICES area 27.9.a. Between 2000 and 2022, average annual catches (total for all species combined) were 14,080 tons, decreasing to 12,121 tons in the last three years.No recent stock assessments have been conducted for this species, and biomass estimates rely entirely on survey trends. In the Celtic Seas, the species remains in poor condition but shows signs of recovery with recent increasing trends. In the North Sea, English Channel and Bay of Biscay recent means exceed historical trends. Horned octopus is the most abundant octopus species in these four area. However, in the absence of stock assessments there is concern for biomass in some areas. These trends indicate a lack of specific biomass information across different areas.UK octopus landings have recently increased in the North Sea, English Channel, and Bay of Biscay, with 17 tonnes in the North Sea and stable catches of about 100 tonnes in the Celtic Sea. English Channel landings average around 200 tonnes. However, these figures are low compared to southern European fisheries. Therefore, there is no concern for the fishing pressure at this time.The sensitivity of octopus to environmental influences (such as variations in temperature and salinity/rainfall) results in natural inter-annual variability of abundance. There appears to be little commercial interest in Horned octopus, in the Northeast Atlantic but the species economic value gives it a relatively high importance among the exploited molluscs. It is routinely discarded by Scottish boats and is among the cephalopod species most commonly discarded by Spanish boats fishing in northern waters.

There are no appropriate effective management measures in place for horned octopus in UK or European waters.There is no appropriate effective management measures for horned octopus (Eledone cirrhosa) fisheries in British or European waters, with no landings quotas, routine stock assessments, or minimum legal sizes in place. Most octopus are caught by small-scale fisheries, regulated regionally with varying industry involvement. Trawling is restricted by EC mesh size regulations, but these are not effective for controlling horned octopus catches. The species is marketed in two size categories, with small specimens being economically valuable and targeted during their recruitment period. Discards in Subarea 7 range from 0.1% to 28.1%. Due to limited management and inadequate data collection, and with cephalopods increasingly targeted as alternatives to overexploited finfish, future management efforts are likely necessary.In the English Channel, a 750g weight limit is set for octopus in ICES divisions 7d and 7e. However, some experts argue this limit does not align with the species' size at maturity. Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 also includes technical measures for towed gear, beam trawls, and restricted fishing areas in UK waters.The EU and UK both have fishery management measures, which can include catch limits, population targets, and gear restrictions. However, compliance in the EU and UK has been inconsistent, with ongoing challenges in implementing some regulations. The goal of reaching Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) by 2020 was missed, with less than half of UK TACs in 2024 following ICES advice. In 2024, the EU and UK reaffirmed their commitment to sustainable fisheries by aligning management with scientific advice to gradually approach MSY. However, no new target date has been set for achieving MSY across all fisheries.The Marine Conservation Society views Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) with cameras is one of the most cost-effective tools for providing reliable fisheries data and aiding informed management decisions. Fully monitored fisheries enhance collaboration, data accuracy, stock recovery, and reduce impacts on marine wildlife and habitats. However, the full potential of REM may only be achieved when it tracks fishing location and documents catch and bycatch, particularly where vulnerable species and habitats are at risk. As of January 2024, the EU is introducing a Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) mandate for EU vessels, including CCTV cameras on vessels 18m or more that pose a potential risk of non-compliance, within the next 4 years. Across the UK, different approaches to REM are being taken and legislation is expected to be in place across all 4 countries within the next few years.The Fisheries Act (2020) requires the development of Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) (replacing EU Multi-Annual Plans) in the UK. 43 FMPs have been proposed and are at various stages of development and implementation, these should all be published by the end of 2028. FMPs have the potential to be very important tools for managing UK fisheries, although data limitations may delay them for some stocks. It is also essential the UK governments define and adopt a standardised approach or model across the four nations to a universally defined FMP design, to ensure the consistence, quality and coherence of all the proposal FMPs.The Marine Conservation Society is keen to see publicly available Fishery Management Plans for all commercially exploited stocks, especially where stocks are depleted, that include:An overview of the fishery including current stock status, spatial coverage, current fishing methods and impactsTargets for fishing pressure and biomass, and additional management when those targets are not being met, based on the best scientific evidenceTimeframes for stock recoveryImproved data collection, transparency, and accountability, supported by technologies such as Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM)Consideration of wider environmental impacts of the fishery, including habitat impacts and minimising bycatchStakeholder engagementA Channel demersal non-quota FMP was published on 14 December 2023, that incorporates both horned and common octopus. However, at the time of writing, it is too soon to know whether proposed management measures will be effective in managing the stock. For more information about this FMP and expected progress and timelines, see [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fisheries-management-plans#published-fmps].

Horned octopus are almost exclusively caught as bycatch in bottom trawl fisheries. Beam trawls have significant impacts on the seabed, including damage to benthic communities and vulnerable marine habitats. They can also have high bycatch, potentially of vulnerable species.Of the total UK octopus catch, the majority (around 75%) is caught by beam trawl, around 24% are taken by demersal otter trawl, with the remaining <1% by other gears (drift and fixed nets 0.27%; pots or trap 0.17%; dredge 0.09%; and gears using hooks 0.02%).Beam trawling, especially using chain-mat gear, is a high impact method of fishing and can have a significant impact on benthic communities. Heavy gear tends to have a higher seabed impact than otter trawling and seabed penetration can vary between 1cm and 8cm, depending on the sediment. Pressures include abrasion (this pressure principally affects the seabed habitats and it is associated with bottom-contacting mobile fishing gear) and smothering, which can be caused by bottom trawling in soft sediment areas. Beam trawling is not a well-targeted fishing activity, with poor selectivity and the potential to catch a wide variety of non-target and unwanted speciesHorned octopus, Eledone cirrhosa, is a typical soft-bottom, eurybathic species. It lives over a wide bathymetric range, generally down to 700 m. It has been reported from 770 m near the Faroe Islands, although, most catches are made over a smaller depth range, generally from 50 to 300 m. Trawls in shallower water (60-90 m) in spring catch an increased number of maturing females. Beam-trawl fisheries generally operate in shallow regions, with particularly intense activity off the southeast coast of England.In the North Sea area, impacts from bottom trawling are variable. Fishing grounds vary, but the habitat is generally mud and sand, which are less vulnerable to trawling than features such as reefs and seagrass. Data from 2018 indicates that trawling was happening on 73% of the seabed area. Fishing effort in the region has halved since 2002, mainly in the trawl fisheries, which is reducing pressure on the seabed and on bycatch species. However, fishing in the North Sea in general has reduced the number of large fish in the ecosystem (mostly cod, saithe, ling, sturgeon, and some elasmobranchs). There are concerns about the impact of North Sea trawling on sea pens.There are Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in this area, some of which are designated to protect seabed features from damaging activities. This fishery overlaps with parts of these MPAs, but the proportion of the catch coming from these areas is expected to be relatively low in relation to the unit of assessment (i.e. less than 20% of the catch or effort), and so these impacts have not been assessed within the scale of this rating. Given the important role that MPAs have in recovering the health and function of our seas, the Marine Conservation Society encourages the supply chain to identify if their specific sources are being caught from within MPAs. If sources are suspected of coming from within designated and managed MPAs, the Marine Conservation Society advises businesses to establish if the fishing activity is operating legally inside a designated and managed MPA, and request evidence from the fishery or managing authority to demonstrate that the activity is not damaging to protected features or a threat to the conservation objectives of the site(s).To improve monitoring and reporting of fishing activity, the Marine Conservation Society would like to see remote electronic monitoring (REM) with cameras implemented, used and enforced. To reduce the impacts of fishing on the marine environment we would like to see a just transition to the complete removal of bottom towed gear from offshore Marine Protected Areas designated to protect the seabed. We also want to see reduction and mitigation of environmental impacts including emissions and blue carbon habitat damage.