Fishermen, divers and snorkelers off Cornwall’s south coast have reported seeing a spike in the number of octopus, prompting conservationists to say it could be evidence of a rare population boom.
Divers have reported an increase of the common octopus in Cornish waters, particularly around the Lizard peninsula, according to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust.
At the same time, local fishermen have said they have caught large numbers in their lobster and cuttlefish traps, with one Mevagissey fisherman reporting catching 150 in one day, compared to his usual catch of one or two a year.
“I got really excited when I started receiving messages from our seasearch divers – not only because sightings of these striking animals are few and far between, but because they’d seen several of them on one dive,” Matt Slater, a marine conservation officer at Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said in a statement announcing the sightings.
“They are such amazing, alien creatures – one of the most intelligent animals in our oceans – and to witness a population explosion in our local waters would be incredible,” he added.
The common octopus is rarely found in UK waters, and has been recorded by the trust just twice a year on average. They are highly-intelligent creatures with a soft-bag like body and eight long arms, with rows of suckers. They generally feed on crabs, and can change colour to better blend in with their environments to avoid detection, according to The Wildlife Trusts.
Population booms of octopus are rare but not unheard of, according to the trust. The last boom in England was in 1948, where sightings of octopus were reported along the south coast from Lands End to Sussex.
Before that the last time a boom was reported was in 1899, according to the trust.
It currently remains unclear if the increased sightings are are a one off spike or if octopus populations are steadily on the rise, Mr Slater said.
