151
9 Farming Costs and Benefits, Marketing Details, Investment Risks
to estimate production linked to the economic parameters that are not yet defined to
the level of a commercial culture at large scale; among them, the final price of the
available product, the costs of fry octopus and their feeding and the investment influence on the feasibility or profitability of the commercial activity (García García
and García García 2011).
9.2 Exploitation Process
Available technology is scarce at present, due to not having completed the artificial
biological cycle at an industrial level. Thus, the production system is based on capturing subadults in the wild, stabling them in different types of cages and tanks and
feeding them with distinct species of low commercial value, basically fish discarded
from trawling fisheries.
This section can be complemented with information from Chap. 24 on Octopus
vulgaris ongrowing.
9.2.1 Production Systems
The octopus grown has fundamentally been obtained from two alternative production systems, sea cages and land tanks. The sea-based systems are always developed
in cages, although there are some differences among them. They are usually small
sized, with little production capacity and built of metallic materials. Octopus shelters are installed inside cylindrical plastic containers compartmentalised individually. The cages are suspended from mussel rafts ( bateas; Chapela et al. 2006) or
floating cages anchored to the sea bottom (García García et al. 2004a; Oltra et al.
2005; Socorro et al. 2005) at different locations, both in the Mediterranean and the
Atlantic. The two types of experimental cages tested are shown in Fig. 9.1. Estefanell et al. (2012) tested benthic cages, attaining survival and growth results similar to those in floating cages; García García et al. (2009) have worked with offshore
cages. Land-based culture tanks in an open system have also been used (Alemany
Sena 2011) by means of a closed system with water recirculation from wells, which
permits a better control of the water temperature (García García et al. 2004b).
9.2.2 Subadults Supply
Subadult octopuses are captured through the artisanal fishery that is carried out in
the area where the ongrowing facilities are located. The typical catching system
uses traps, allowing the octopus to arrive alive and in good condition onboard.
The animals designated for ongrowing are individually introduced into a mesh bag
having a PVC tube inside (diameter = 15 cm, length = 20 cm), which is used by the
9 Farming Costs and Benefits, Marketing Details, Investment Risks
to estimate production linked to the economic parameters that are not yet defined to
the level of a commercial culture at large scale; among them, the final price of the
available product, the costs of fry octopus and their feeding and the investment influence on the feasibility or profitability of the commercial activity (García García
and García García 2011).
9.2 Exploitation Process
Available technology is scarce at present, due to not having completed the artificial
biological cycle at an industrial level. Thus, the production system is based on capturing subadults in the wild, stabling them in different types of cages and tanks and
feeding them with distinct species of low commercial value, basically fish discarded
from trawling fisheries.
This section can be complemented with information from Chap. 24 on Octopus
vulgaris ongrowing.
9.2.1 Production Systems
The octopus grown has fundamentally been obtained from two alternative production systems, sea cages and land tanks. The sea-based systems are always developed
in cages, although there are some differences among them. They are usually small
sized, with little production capacity and built of metallic materials. Octopus shelters are installed inside cylindrical plastic containers compartmentalised individually. The cages are suspended from mussel rafts ( bateas; Chapela et al. 2006) or
floating cages anchored to the sea bottom (García García et al. 2004a; Oltra et al.
2005; Socorro et al. 2005) at different locations, both in the Mediterranean and the
Atlantic. The two types of experimental cages tested are shown in Fig. 9.1. Estefanell et al. (2012) tested benthic cages, attaining survival and growth results similar to those in floating cages; García García et al. (2009) have worked with offshore
cages. Land-based culture tanks in an open system have also been used (Alemany
Sena 2011) by means of a closed system with water recirculation from wells, which
permits a better control of the water temperature (García García et al. 2004b).
9.2.2 Subadults Supply
Subadult octopuses are captured through the artisanal fishery that is carried out in
the area where the ongrowing facilities are located. The typical catching system
uses traps, allowing the octopus to arrive alive and in good condition onboard.
The animals designated for ongrowing are individually introduced into a mesh bag
having a PVC tube inside (diameter = 15 cm, length = 20 cm), which is used by the