Fishers on England's south coast catch over 3,000 tons of octopus this year

Fishers on England's south coast have caught more than 3,000 metric tons of octopus so far this year, up from about 2,600 last year and fewer than 30 tons a year before 2025. The new catch brings money, but octopuses eat crabs, lobsters and scallops that other fishers need.

Warmer water helps explain the rise. This summer, European seas averaged 21.6°C from June to August, their highest average for those months in 45 years. Since 2022, the English Channel has had unusually warm water for about six months a year on average, with more than 900 such days in all. Young octopuses travel into British waters on currents from warmer areas. Many once could not survive the cold water, but now they survive and breed, says Bryce Stewart, a researcher at the Marine Biological Association.

Ian Perkes, a fish seller in Brixham, benefits because buyers in southern Europe want octopus and there is no catch limit for it. But many shellfish fishers lack the equipment to switch. Four of the roughly 90 boats in the South Devon and Channel Shellfishermen's cooperative went out of business in the past year. For January to September 2025, the Marine Biological Association estimates the octopus increase may be linked to about £10 million in lost shellfish catches, compared with octopus catches worth about £12 million. Stewart asks, “Will the octopus still be here next year?” The new catch helps some fishers, but its uncertain future puts others’ work at risk.