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Octopuses in the south-west Pacific region: a review of fisheries, ecology, cultural importance and management

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Abstract

Octopuses present a difficult resource to manage because of their relatively short life spans, rapid growth rates, high natural mortality and seasonal fluctuations in abundance. With exploitation efforts increasing worldwide, particularly in the Pacific Island region, substantial knowledge gaps in their biology, exploitation and management remain. We conducted a literature review to summarise their species distribution, abundance, ecological attributes, utilization, importance and management within the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) of Fiji, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Tonga, Samoa and American Samoa. We found that 23 species of octopuses within 11 genera were recorded from these PICTs, belonging to the families Amphitretidae and Octopodidae. Overall, Tonga was the most speciose country with 11 occurrence records and Samoa recorded the least with just a single species. All other countries recorded between 2 and 8 taxa. The day octopus (Octopus cyanea) was recorded from all PICTs except Samoa. There are no specific national regulations on octopus fisheries within the PICTs and management is largely dependent on overarching national fisheries legislation. However, community-based management efforts can be an effective platform in sustaining octopus stocks. Octopuses also play an important role in the folklore and customs of many Pacific Islanders, and we provide a summary of these for the specific PICTs assessed. This review highlights areas for further research and development for the Pacific Island region and the urgent need to address specific knowledge gaps on octopus taxonomy, stock assessment and fishery management.

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Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Source: FAO, (2005), [Cephalopods of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of cephalopod species known to date], [https://www.fao.org/publications/card/en/c/bab682f4-2346-5bf1-89d7-94f276279a36]. Reproduced with permission

Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Source: The Fiji Museum—Virtual Museum. Reproduced with permission

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to extend their gratitude to the Director of the Fiji Museum Sipiriano Nemani for the use of photographs from the museum’s virtual museum. We thank Filimoni Gadolo Yaya and John Kaitu’u who provided technical assistance in producing the map in Fig. 1. We also acknowledge Tarusila Veibi, Varanisese Tove, Ateca Tuva and Selita Leba Cegucegu who either provided or assisted with preliminary field observations at sites in Fiji. Finally, we also wish to thank Leigh-Anne Buliruarua, Cherie Morris and Wati Kanawale for their administrative assistance during preliminary field surveys.

Funding

This review article was supported through funding provided by the Pacific European Union Marine Partnership (PEUMP) programme within the PAGoDA Grant Agreement, key result area 6: "Capacity built through education, training and research and development for key stakeholder groups in fisheries and marine resource management", led by the University of the South Pacific (USP) under the Institute of Marine Resources (IMR).

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  1. Institute of Marine Resources, Discipline of Marine Studies, School of Agriculture, Geography, Environment, Ocean and Natural Sciences, The University of the South Pacific, Lower Laucala Campus, Laucala Bay Road, Suva, Fiji

    Epeli M. Loganimoce, Rusila Savou, Jokim V. Kitolelei & Max Tukana

  2. School of Agriculture, Geography, Environment, Ocean and Natural Sciences, The University of the South Pacific, Lower Laucala Campus, Laucala Bay Road, Suva, Fiji

    Kelly T. Brown & Monal M. Lal

  3. School of Science, Technology and Engineering and Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, QLD, 4556, Australia

    Paul C. Southgate & Monal M. Lal

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Contributions

Conceptualization: EML and ML; Methodology: EML, ML and KTB; Literature search and investigation: EML, KTB, ML, RS, MT and JK; Writing—original draft preparation: EML, KTB, ML, RS, MT and JK; Writing—review and editing: EML, ML, PS, KTB and RS.

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Loganimoce, E.M., Brown, K.T., Savou, R. et al. Octopuses in the south-west Pacific region: a review of fisheries, ecology, cultural importance and management. Rev Fish Biol Fisheries 33, 977–1003 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-023-09772-9

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