Catch Info:

• Method:
  Traps
• Gear:
  Pots

View details of SeafoodWatch Catch Methods

Description:

Octopus meat is mildly sweet and smooth, but firm and sometimes chewy. Octopus must be cooked a long time for it to become tender. The skin is edible.

Worldwide.

There are over 100 species of octopus harvested worldwide, but products are rarely identified by species. The most commonly harvested is appropriately named the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris). In the U.S., most octopus is imported from the Philippines, Thailand and Korea. Hawaii and California are domestic sources. Octopus have short lifespans and produce many offspring, making them generally resilient to fishing pressure. But few data are available from foreign fisheries, stock statuses are unknown, and fishery management regulations are minimal. Octopus are most frequently caught with trawl nets, which can have severe impacts on ecosystems via bottom damage and bycatch, but are also caught in traps, by divers and with hook and line, all of which have fewer impacts than trawls.

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