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J. Iglesias and L. Fuentes
23.1 Introduction
23.1.1 Importance of this Species in the Market
and Capture Methods
The common octopus, Octopus vulgaris, is a species with a substantial global market and consequent capture importance. It is widely distributed with a high market
price due to its high demand as a food source. It is appreciated and used in food
preparations in Asiatic, Mediterranean and Latin-American countries and can be
found in the market as fresh, frozen, whole or sliced products. The edible part of
octopus is very high (over 90 % of its body weight), resulting in a highly interesting
product concerning yield.
It is a species that supports both industrial and artisanal fisheries. Local fishermen catch them using mainly hooks, lures and pots. In contrast, industrial fishermen
catch large quantities in the oceanic sublittoral areas using trawls operated from
large fishing boats. The declared annual world catches attributed to O� vulgaris declined from more than 100,000 t in the late 1970s to around 40,000–50,000 t during
the period 2000–2010 (FAO 2012).
The common octopus is a highly valued species of great commercial interest in
Spain. The octopus fishery has been overexploited in the past decades, which has
forced the administration to regulate the fishery and, through research, to evaluate
aquaculture techniques as an alternative source of supply.
Many of the species’ biological features, such as direct embryological
development, short life cycle, rapid growth and elevated food conversion index
(Vaz-Pires et al. 2004), make it an excellent candidate for aquaculture. In addition,
its high fecundity, rapid growth and high food conversion index, together with its
high market value, make the common octopus a promising species for diversifying
the aquaculture industry.
23.1.2 State of the Art
Research on rearing O� vulgaris paralarvae started in Japan when Itami et al. (1963)
obtained the first benthic juveniles after 33 days at a mean temperature of 24.7 ºC
using shrimp ( Palaemon serrifer) zoeae as prey. Later, Imamura (1990) and Hamasaki et al. (1991) reported successful rearing in 20 m
3
tanks to which Artemia and
Nannochloropsis sp. were added, suggesting for the first time the possibility of
mass-producing octopus paralarvae. Subsequent research in Japan focused on
the production of juveniles for enhancement programmes (Okumura et al. 2005;
Kurihara et al. 2006; Arai et al. 2008), using Artemia supplemented with frozen
slices of Pacific sandeel ( Ammodytes personatus) as food for the paralarvae.
In Europe, the first successful rearing trials were carried out by Villanueva
(1994, 1995). He obtained benthic juveniles after 47 days using decapod crab zoeae
as prey and a rearing temperature of 21.2 ºC. Subsequently, Moxica et al. (2002)
J. Iglesias and L. Fuentes
23.1 Introduction
23.1.1 Importance of this Species in the Market
and Capture Methods
The common octopus, Octopus vulgaris, is a species with a substantial global market and consequent capture importance. It is widely distributed with a high market
price due to its high demand as a food source. It is appreciated and used in food
preparations in Asiatic, Mediterranean and Latin-American countries and can be
found in the market as fresh, frozen, whole or sliced products. The edible part of
octopus is very high (over 90 % of its body weight), resulting in a highly interesting
product concerning yield.
It is a species that supports both industrial and artisanal fisheries. Local fishermen catch them using mainly hooks, lures and pots. In contrast, industrial fishermen
catch large quantities in the oceanic sublittoral areas using trawls operated from
large fishing boats. The declared annual world catches attributed to O� vulgaris declined from more than 100,000 t in the late 1970s to around 40,000–50,000 t during
the period 2000–2010 (FAO 2012).
The common octopus is a highly valued species of great commercial interest in
Spain. The octopus fishery has been overexploited in the past decades, which has
forced the administration to regulate the fishery and, through research, to evaluate
aquaculture techniques as an alternative source of supply.
Many of the species’ biological features, such as direct embryological
development, short life cycle, rapid growth and elevated food conversion index
(Vaz-Pires et al. 2004), make it an excellent candidate for aquaculture. In addition,
its high fecundity, rapid growth and high food conversion index, together with its
high market value, make the common octopus a promising species for diversifying
the aquaculture industry.
23.1.2 State of the Art
Research on rearing O� vulgaris paralarvae started in Japan when Itami et al. (1963)
obtained the first benthic juveniles after 33 days at a mean temperature of 24.7 ºC
using shrimp ( Palaemon serrifer) zoeae as prey. Later, Imamura (1990) and Hamasaki et al. (1991) reported successful rearing in 20 m
3
tanks to which Artemia and
Nannochloropsis sp. were added, suggesting for the first time the possibility of
mass-producing octopus paralarvae. Subsequent research in Japan focused on
the production of juveniles for enhancement programmes (Okumura et al. 2005;
Kurihara et al. 2006; Arai et al. 2008), using Artemia supplemented with frozen
slices of Pacific sandeel ( Ammodytes personatus) as food for the paralarvae.
In Europe, the first successful rearing trials were carried out by Villanueva
(1994, 1995). He obtained benthic juveniles after 47 days using decapod crab zoeae
as prey and a rearing temperature of 21.2 ºC. Subsequently, Moxica et al. (2002)