GLOBEFISH - World Octopus Market - Jun 2008

GLOBEFISH RESEARCH PROGRAMME

World Octopus Market: Volume 94

World Octopus Market Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Fish Products and Industry Division Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00153 Rome, Italy Tel.: +39 06 5705 5074 Fax: +39 06 5705 5188 www.globefish.org

Volume 94

World Octopus Market

by

Helga Josupeit (June 2008)

The GLOBEFISH Research Programme is an activity initiated by FAO's Fish Utilisation and Marketing Service, Rome, Italy and financed jointly by: -

NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service), Washington, DC, USA FROM, Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, Madrid, Spain Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Copenhagen, Denmark European Commission, Directorate General for Fisheries, Brussels, EU Norwegian Seafood Export Council, Tromsoe, Norway OFIMER (Office National Interprofessionnel des Produits de la Mer et de l’Aquaculture), Paris, France ASMI (Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute), USA DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans), Canada SSA (Seafood Services Australia), Australia Ministry of Fisheries, New Zealand

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, GLOBEFISH, Fish Products and Industry Division Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy – Tel.: (39) 06570 56313 E-mail: GLOBEFISH@fao.org - Fax: (39) 0657055188 – http//:www.globefish.org

The designation employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Helga Josupeit.; WORLD OCTOPUS MARKET GLOBEFISH Research Programme, Vol.94 Rome, FAO. 2008. p. 65.

The most important octopus fisheries and markets are located in Japan, Republic of Korea and in the northern Mediterranean countries.

Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) is the main species produced, it is highly desirable and commands high prices. Quite important in commercial terms is also the baby octopus (Eledone spp.) fisheries in Asia.

Octopus resources, especially in the Eastern Central Atlantic are overexploited, and national authorities have taken draconic steps for the protection of the species. Morocco closed in 2004 the octopus fisheries for several months. There are some timid signs that this protection measures have paid off, and that the resource is slowly recovering.

Total octopus exports reached 220 000 tonnes in 2005, for a value of more than US$ 900 million. In volume terms, China became the main octopus exporter in 2004. Moroccan production was hit by a major crisis due to an imposed ban on octopus fishing. In value terms, however, Morocco is still the main octopus exporter, followed by Spain (several re-exports through Las Palmas).

Import figures for octopus reflect the general trend experienced in catch and export: they increased continuously from 1976 to 2000, to drop off in recent years. In 2005, total octopus imports reached 270 000 tonnes. However, when looking at the 2005 figures, there is a 50 000 tonnes, or 20% of total octopus traded, difference between exports and imports. This indicates that export figures are less accurate than the import figures. The Republic of Korea is the top octopus importing country and by far the world’s main octopus consumer.

Acknowledgement : Layout Tony Piccolo GLOBEFISH. Photo credit: Turan Rahimzadeh

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Applications for such permission, with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction, should be addressed to the Director, Information Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy.

Š FAO 2008

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TABLE OF CONTENT

1.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY......................................................................................................1

2.

INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................3 2.1.

2.2.

2.3.

2.4.

2.5.

3.

MAIN SUPPLIERS AND EXPORTERS ..............................................................................14 3.1.

3.2.

3.3.

3.4.

3.5.

3.6.

3.7.

3.8.

4.

Octopus Landings...........................................................................................................3 Octopus: an intelligent creature......................................................................................4 Octopus production by fishing area and country .........................................................10 Octopus aquaculture.....................................................................................................11 Quality requirements, grading and preparation of octopus ..........................................11

Marocco........................................................................................................................14 Mauritania ....................................................................................................................16 China ............................................................................................................................19 Spain.............................................................................................................................22 Viet Nam ......................................................................................................................23 Thailand........................................................................................................................25 Mexico..........................................................................................................................28 Senegal .........................................................................................................................29

MAIN CONSUMERS AND IMPORTERS...........................................................................31 4.1.

4.2.

4.3.

4.4.

4.5.

4.6.

4.7.

4.8.

4.9.

4.10.

The Republic of Korea .................................................................................................32 Japan.............................................................................................................................35 Europe ..........................................................................................................................39 Greece...........................................................................................................................40 Italy...............................................................................................................................41 Spain.............................................................................................................................44 Portugal ........................................................................................................................46 Other EU countries.......................................................................................................47 United States of America .............................................................................................48 Others ...........................................................................................................................49

5.

OUTLOOK ..............................................................................................................................49

6.

MAIN PRODUCTS AND RECIPES.....................................................................................49 6.1.

Buying and storing tips ................................................................................................49 6.2.

Preparation, uses and tips .............................................................................................49 6.2.1.

Broiling...................................................................................................................50 6.2.2.

Deep frying .............................................................................................................50 6.2.3.

Stewing ...................................................................................................................50 6.3.

Nutritional highlights ...................................................................................................50 6.4.

Recipes and preparations..............................................................................................51 6.4.1.

General...................................................................................................................51 Octopus salad .........................................................................................................51

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6.4.2.

6.4.3.

6.4.4.

6.4.5.

Octopus appetizer...................................................................................................51 Roasted octopus......................................................................................................52 Italian specialities ..................................................................................................53 Octopus carpaccio ..................................................................................................53 Baby octopus with polenta .....................................................................................53 Spaghetti with octopus ...........................................................................................53 Japanese specialities ..............................................................................................54 Octopus balls ..........................................................................................................54 Akashiyaki..............................................................................................................55 Raw baby octopus eggs ..........................................................................................55 Octopus salad ........................................................................................................56 Tako poke...............................................................................................................56 Octopus pot ............................................................................................................56 Octopus sushi .........................................................................................................57 Spanish specialities ................................................................................................57 Pulpo e feira ..........................................................................................................57 Canned octopus in vegetable oil.............................................................................58 Canned octopus salad .............................................................................................58 Korean specialities.................................................................................................58

7.

MAIN PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS.................................................................................60

8.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES.......................................................................................65

TABLES TABLE 1: OCTOPUS LANDINGS BY SPECIES - IN 1 000 TONNES......................................3 TABLE 2: OCTOPUS CATCHES BY FISHING AREA IN 1 000 TONNES ............................10 TABLE 3: OCTOPUS CATCHES (EXCLUDING CHNA) BY FISHING AREA IN 1 000 TONNES ........................................................................................................................................10 TABLE 4: OCTOPUS CATCHES BY COUNTRY IN 1 000 TONNES ....................................11 TABLE 5: COMMERCIAL GRADING FOR OCTOPUS GRADE............................................12 TABLE 6: OCTOPUS EXPORTS - IN TONNES........................................................................14 TABLE 7: OCTOPUS EXPORTS - IN 1000 US$ .......................................................................14 TABLE 8: MOROCCON OCTOPUS EXPORTS BY COUNTRY OF DESTINATION - IN 1 000 TONNES ..............................................................................................................................15 TABLE 9: COMPARISON: MOROCCAN OCTOPUS EXPORTS VERSUS PRODUCTION - IN 1 000 TONNES............................................................................................16 TABLE 10: MAURITANIAN OCTOPUS EXPORTS – IN TONNES ...............................................18 TABLE 11: MAURITANIAN OCTOPUS CATCHES COMPARED WITH EXPORTS – IN TONNES ........................................................................................................................................18 TABLE 12: COMPARISON: MAURITANIAN AND MOROCCAN CATCHES VERSUS EXPORTS FROM BOTH COUNTRIES – IN 1000 TONNES .............................................................19

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TABLE 13: CHINESE EXPORTS BY COUNTRY OF DESTINATION – IN 1000 TONNES ...........21 TABLE 14: SPANISH OCTOPUS CATCHES – IN TONNES .........................................................22 TABLE15: SPANISH OCTOPUS EXPORTS – IN 1000 TONNES...................................................23 TABLE 16: OCTOPUS EXPORTS – IN TONNES ..........................................................................23 TABLE 17: VIETNAMESE OCTOPUS EXPORTS BY COUNTRY OF DESTINATION - IN 1000 TONNES .........................................................................................................................................24 TABLE 18: THAI OCTOPUS LANDINGS BY FISHING AREA - IN TONNES ....................25 TABLE 19: THAI OCTOPUS EXPORTS BY PRODUCT – IN TONNES ........................................26 TABLE 20: THAI OCTOPUS EXPORTS BY COUNTRY OF DESTINATION – IN 1000 TONNES .........................................................................................................................................27 TABLE 21: MEXICAN OCTOPUS EXPORTS BY COUNTRY OF DESTINATION – IN 1000 TONNES .........................................................................................................................................28 TABLE 22: SENEGALESE OCTOPUS EXPORTS BY COUNTRY OF DESTINATION – IN TONNES .........................................................................................................................................30 TABLE 23: WORLD OCTOPUS IMPORTS - IN 1000 TONNES .............................................31 TABLE 24: WORLD OCTOPUS IMPORTS – IN MILLION US$ ....................................................32 TABLE 25: REPUBLIC OF KOREA OCTOPUS IMPORTS – IN TONNES ....................................33 TABLE 26: REPUBLIC OF KOREA OCTOPUS LANDINGS BY FISHING AREA – IN TONNES..33 TABLE 27: REPUBLIC OF KOREA OCTOPUS PER CAPUT CONSUMPTION – IN TONNES.....34 TABLE 28: JAPANESE OCTOPUS IMPORTS – IN 1000 TONNES ...............................................36 TABLE 29: JAPANESE OCTOPUS CATCHES BY FISHING AREA – IN TONNES ......................37 TABLE 30: JAPANESE OCTOPUS PER CAPUT CONSUMPTION – IN TONNES ........................38 TABLE 31: EU* OCTOPUS IMPORTS BY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – IN 1000 TONNES................39 TABLE 32: EU* OCTOPUS IMPORTS BY COUNTRY OF DESTINATION – IN 1000 TONNES ....39 TABLE 33: GREEK OCTOPUS CATCHES – IN TONNES .............................................................40 TABLE 34: GREEK OCTOPUS CATCHES – IN TONNES .............................................................40 TABLE 35: GREEK OCTOPUS CONSUMPTION IN LIVE WEIGHT EQUIVALENT – IN TONNES .........................................................................................................................................41 TABLE 36: ITALIAN OCTOPUS CATCHES – IN TONNES ...........................................................41 TABLE 37: ITALIAN OCTOPUS IMPORTS BY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – IN TONNES................42 TABLE 38: ITALIAN OCTOPUS CONSUMPTION IN LIVE WEIGHT EQUIVALENT – IN TONNES .........................................................................................................................................43 TABLE 39: SPANISH OCTOPUS IMPORTS BY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – IN TONNES ...............44 TABLE 40: SPANISH OCTOPUS CONSUMPTION IN LIVE WEIGHT EQUIVALENT – IN TONNES .........................................................................................................................................45 TABLE 41: PORTUGUESE OCTOPUS CATCHES – IN TONNES ..................................................46 TABLE 42: PORTUGUESE OCTOPUS IMPORTS BY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – IN TONNES .......47

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TABLE 43: PORTUGUESE OCTOPUS CONSUMPTION IN LIVE WEIGHT EQUIVALENT – IN TONNES .........................................................................................................................................47 TABLE 44: EU (27) – (GREECE, PORTUGAL, ITALY, SPAIN) OCTOPUS IMPORTS BY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – IN TONNES................................................................................................... 47

TABLE 45: US OCTOPUS IMPORTS BY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – IN TONNES ..........................48

FIGURES: FIGURE 1: OCTOPUS PROCESSING FLOW CHART ....................................................................13 FIGURE 2: MOROCCAN OCTOPUS PRODUCTION ...............................................................15 FIGURE 3: OCTOPUS CATCHES - MAURITANIA..................................................................17 FIGURE 4: CHINESE OCTOPUS LANDINGS...........................................................................20 FIGURE 5: CHINESE OCTOPUS EXPORTS - VALUE VERSUS QUANTITY.......................20 FIGURE 6: UNIT VALUE OF CHINESE OCTOPUS EXPORTS ..............................................21 FIGURE 7: OCTOPUS CATCHES BY SPAIN............................................................................22 FIGURE 8: UNIT VALUE OF VIETNAMESE OCTOPUS EXPORTS......................................25 FIGURE 9: THAI OCTOPUS CATCHES ....................................................................................26 FIGURE 10: UNIT VALUE OF THAI OCTOPUS EXPORTS....................................................27 FIGURE 11: MEXICAN OCTOPUS LANDINGS .......................................................................28 FIGURE 12: UNIT VALUE OF MEXICAN OCTOPUS EXPORTS ..........................................29 FIGURE 13: SENEGAL OCTOPUS CATCHES..........................................................................30 FIGURE 14: UNIT VALUE OF SENEGALESE OCTOPUS EXPORTS....................................31 FIGURE 15: OCTOPUS CATCHES BY THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA ....................................33 FIGURE 16: UNIT VALUE OF KOREAN OCTOPUS IMPORTS.............................................34 FIGURE 17: JAPANESE OCTOPUS PRICES .............................................................................35 FIGURE 18: UNIT VALUE OF JAPANESE OCTOPUS IMPORTS ..........................................36 FIGURE 19: JAPANESE OCTOPUS COLDSTORAGE HOLDINGS........................................37 FIGURE 20: JAPANESE OCTOPUS CATCHES ........................................................................38 FIGURE 21: UNIT VALUE OF GREEK OCTOPUS IMPORTS ................................................41 FIGURE 22: UNIT VALUE OF ITALIAN OCTOPUS IMPORTS .............................................43 FIGURE 23: TRADE UNIT VALUE - SPAIN .............................................................................45 FIGURE 24: OCTOPUS IN SPAIN - ORIGIN MOROCCO........................................................46 FIGURE 25: US OCTOPUS UNIT VALUE.................................................................................48

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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Octopus consumption is confined to Japan, the Republic of Korea and northern Mediterranean countries. The rest of the world has not developed a taste for octopus, and unlike for other cephalopod species (squid) there are no indications for a change in these consumption patterns.

Octopus catches are about 360 000 tonnes per year. Octopus resources, especially in the Eastern Central Atlantic are overexploited, and national authorities have taken draconic steps for the protection of the species. Morocco closed in 2004 the octopus fisheries for several months. There are some timid signs that this protection measures have paid off, and that the resource is slowly recovering.

Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) is the main species produced. This species is highly desirable and commands high prices throughout its distributional range and supports artisanal as well as industrial fisheries. It is taken mainly with lures, hooks and lines, pots, spears and otter trawls. Quite important in commercial terms is also the baby octopus (Eledone spp.) fisheries in Asia. The main difference is that while the Octopus spp. has a double row of suckers, the Eledone spp. has only one row of suckers on the tentacles. Common octopus demand doubles or triples the price of the baby octopus.

Up to present, the full system of octopus aquaculture has not been successful. In the 1960s, Japan cultured some 100 tonnes of octopus, but production was stopped. At present only Spain reports a small production of 16 tonnes per year. The country is though successful in ongrowing of octopus, similar to bluefin fattening. Ongrowing cycles in cages are still mainly been carried out at an experimental basis, however, the results are promising. Weight increases of 650 g per month are reported, so that the octopus could reach a good commercial weight of 2.5 kg in just three months. As octopus demand a relatively high price on the market, it is likely that we will see more of octopus fattening in coming years.

China is by far the main octopus fishing nation, with catches exceeding 100 000 tonnes. This country started octopus catching rather recently, in the year 2000 catches did not even exceed 5 000 tonnes.

China is catching octopus in the Eastern Central Atlantic, under fishing agreements with several African countries. Japanese catches are fairly stable at 55 000 tonnes, nowadays mainly targeting the domestic waters and some fishing areas in the Pacific.

Total octopus exports reached 220 000 tonnes in 2005, for a value of more than US$ 900 million. In volume terms, China became the main octopus exporter in 2004, when the Moroccan production was hit by a major crisis due to an imposed ban on octopus fishing. Despite the Moroccan recovery in 2005, China continued to be the main exporter also during this year. In value terms, however, Morocco is still the main octopus exporter, followed by Spain (several re-exports through Las Palmas). China is only number three of octopus exporters in value terms. Unit value of octopus is highest for Mauritania and Morocco, while the Asian exporters report a far lower value.

Import figures for octopus reflect the general trend experienced in catch and export: they increased continuously from 1976 to 2000, to drop off in recent years. In 2005, total octopus imports reached 270 000 tonnes. However, when looking at the 2005 figures, there is a 50 000 tonnes, or 20% of total octopus traded, difference between exports and imports. This indicates that export figures are less accurate than the import figures. The Republic of Korea emerged as the main importer of octopus in quantity terms in recent years. This was mainly due to the disappearance of import restrictions. Japan thus lost its top position to the Republic of Korea, with imports of octopus declining from a peak of 131 000 tonnes back in 1993 to 55 000 tonnes in 2005. During 2006, Japan saw a further decline in its imports and was overtaken by Italy.

The Republic of Korea is not only the top octopus importing country but also and by far the world’s main octopus consumer. Some 2 kg of octopus are consumed per year in the Republic of Korea, which

1

compares to 1.2 kg and 1.4 kg for Greece or Italy respectively, other huge consuming countries of octopus. The consumption of octopus in the Republic of Korea grew enormously after the liberalization of octopus imports, in the 1980s the consumption was only 0.5 kg. Japan used to be the main octopus importing country with more than 100 000 tonnes imports in the late 1980s. However, in recent years, imports have declined continuously, while the average price of octopus in the Japanese market has gone up steadily. Consumer resistance towards high prices were noticed by traders. As a result octopus consumption went down in recent years.

As for many other capture fisheries species, the outlook is not very bright for the octopus resources.

However, there are some positive signs, such as the recent recovery of octopus production in Morocco, which indicates that there is hope that with a stringent control system the resource can be protected and this delicious product can keep its place on the table of its consumers. Aquaculture is the way out for many other species. Farming is nowadays even possible for cod, another species marked by overfishing and resource destruction. However, octopus seems to be resistant to the many attempts to rear it in captivity. Octopus fattening, similar to tuna fattening, seems to be way out, and the specimens are gaining weight quickly. More of this production method is likely to take place in the main producing countries in future years.

Taking all the indicators together, there is no doubt that the consumption of octopus will stay confined to a handful of countries – Republic of Korea, Japan, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy. Demand in these countries is likely to stay stable, or even go down, in view of higher prices, unavoidable in view of the scarce resource. Landings of octopus are likely to stay stable at the present 360 000 tonnes, or even decline.

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2. INTRODUCTION 2.1. Octopus landings Octopuses are cephalopods, related to other molluscs such as oysters and snails, yet gifted with unique characteristics octopuses are the most traditional of all cephalopod resources, and have been exploited for more than 2 000 years. Their catches during the last few decades have fluctuated between 180 000 and 360 000 tonnes annually. Octopus catches reached a peak of 362 500 tonnes in 2004 and since show a certain trend for decline. Octopus resources, especially in the Eastern Central Atlantic, are overexploited and national authorities have taken draconic steps for the protection of the species. In 2004 Morocco closed the octopus fisheries for several months. There are some timid signs that this protection measures have paid off and that the resource is slowly recovering.

The most important octopus fisheries and markets are located in Asia (particularly in Japan) and in the Mediterranean countries.

In Chapter 5 of this book, there are several octopus recipes and product description.

Fishing gears for these resources include pots, traps, spears and hooks for the cryptic species, and bottom trawls and seines for those living in open areas.

Table 1: Octopus landings by species – in 1 000 tonnes1

Common octopus Horned and musky octopuses Horned octopus Octopuses, etc. nei TOTAL

1980 66.4

1985 62.9

1990 62.2

1995 66.8

2000 50.5

2004 50.4

2005 37.5

2.1

3.7

3

2.5

2

2.2

8.3

0

0

0

0

0

0.4

0.3

113.2 144.5 229.2 235 259.3 309.5 313 181.7 211.1 294.4 304.3 311.9 362.5 359.1

Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) is by far the main species produced, unfortunately, the share of unidentified octopus in total production is increasing, due to the increased presence of China, a country which does not give indications on the species caught, among the octopus producing countries. Without doubt, most of the Chinese octopus catch is Octopus vulgaris. The species is highly desirable and commands high prices throughout its distributional range and supports artisanal as well as industrial fisheries. It is taken mainly with lures, hooks and lines, pots, spears and otter trawls.

Quite important in commercial terms is also the baby octopus (spp.) fisheries in Asia. The main difference is that while the Octopus spp. has a double row of suckers, the Edelone spp. has only one row of suckers on the tentacles. The preference by the consumer for the Octopus spp. goes as far as 1

All tables in this document, if not otherwise indicated, have as source FAO FishStat Plus, or calculations by the author based on FAO FishStat Plus.

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that in Italian markets the common octopus is sold as “polpo verace” that means “the genuine octopus”. Common octopus demand doubles or triples the price of the baby octopus.

2.2. Octopus: an intelligent creature Octopuses are thought to be one of the most intelligent invertebrates and can change the colour and texture of their skin to blend in with rocks, algae, or coral to avoid predators. Scientists have discovered that octopus has about the same intelligence as a mouse or a rat or certain birds. Most other intelligent animals are long-lived and social. Most octopuses live a year or less, only the giant Pacific octopus lives three or four years. Most other intelligent animals are social animals: crows, parrots, dolphins, elephants, monkeys. Octopuses are not social. The only time they get together is to eat one another or when they are mating.

Octopuses learn relatively quickly. Frida, a five months old female octopus housed in the Hellabrunn Zoo in Germany (imported from Morocco) has learnt a unique talent. After watching zoo attendants open shrimp jars a few times she has learnt to open the jars on her own. She presses the lid against her body and grasps the side of the jar with suckers on her eight tentacles. With a series of body twists, she opens the jar in anywhere from 10 seconds to an hour (depending on how tight the lid is).

Octopuses have been seen to actually assume the appearance of another animal. One example is a brown octopus, about 60 cm long, that slithers along the muddy bottom of shallow, tropical estuaries where rivers spill into the sea and scientists are intrigued by its uncanny ability to impersonate lion fish, soles, and banded sea snakes. Looking a bit like a cartoonist's effort to make strange sea creatures seem more human, two species of octopus have been caught on tape walking on just two of their eight legs. One species wraps six of its legs around itself in a tight ball as it jogs backwards across the sea bed on the other two, somewhat like a little green video game alien trying to avoid being eaten or shot.

The other holds six arms up in frozen, crooked poses like tree branches as it moves on two arms that seem to act like mini conveyor belts. This may be a clever way for the animals to disguise themselves from predators while on the move. In one case the octopus tries to look like a coconut, in the second like algae.

4

Octopus commercial species2

2

The following commercial species are copied from the FAO Species Catalogue No. 125, vol. 3, now also available on CD-ROM: FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125, vols 1 to 18.

5

6

7

8

.

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2.3. Octopus production by fishing area and country Table 2: Octopus catches by fishing area – in 1 000 tonnes 1985 1990 1980 Atlantic, Eastern Central 74.4 99.3 131.0 Atlantic, Northeast 13.1 8.1 14.0 Atlantic, Southeast 0.2 0.2 0.1 Atlantic, Southwest 0.2 0.7 1.2 Atlantic, Western Central 6.9 7.2 16.6 Indian Ocean, Eastern 0.5 0.5 3.3 Indian Ocean, Western 1.1 1.0 1.4 Mediterranean and Black Sea 28.5 29.3 22.0 Pacific, Eastern Central 0.1 0.4 1.1 Pacific, Northeast 0.8 0.0 0.2 Pacific, Northwest 54.8 52.2 71.4 Pacific, Southeast 0.1 2.1 3.9 Pacific, Southwest 0.0 0.0 0.2 Pacific, Western Central 7.4 11.1 20.9 TOTAL 181.7 211.1 294.4

1995 117.9 17.7 0.1 0.8 19.7 6.4 1.4

2000 138.5 16.7 0.3 1.1 23.7 14.4 1.2

2004 45.7 14.9 0.1 1.6 25.6 12.6 2.6

2005 71.6 17.6 0.4 1.8 10.7 11.7 2.5

26.9 1.0 0.1 74.8 4.6 9.1 23.8 304.3

25.9 1.0 0.1 66.8 2.5 0.4 19.2 311.9

25.0 1.1 0.1 209.6 3.6 0.6 19.5 362.5

31.3 0.5 0.1 190.2 3.7 0.5 16.6 359.1

The above table shows octopus catches by fishing areas; however, it becomes clear that there are some statistical problems with the production in the Northwest Pacific. China only reports since 2003 octopus production and, as it is not identified, all of it is put under the “home” area of China, which is the Northwest Pacific. However, it is apparent that China is also catching in other fishing areas. The below table tries to resolve some problems, by giving octopus catches, excluding China, and gives a more realistic distribution of octopus production by fishing area, showing the substantial decline of octopus production in the Eastern Central Atlantic, and an increase in importance of the Northwest Pacific.

Table 3: Octopus catches (excluding China) by fishing area – in 1 000 tonnes 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 Atlantic, Eastern Central 74.4 99.3 129.9 114.4 133.9 Atlantic, Northeast 13.1 8.1 14.0 17.7 16.7 Atlantic, Southwest 0.2 0.7 1.2 0.8 1.1 Atlantic, Western Central 6.9 7.2 16.6 19.7 23.7 Indian Ocean, Eastern 0.5 0.5 3.3 6.4 14.4 Indian Ocean, Western 1.1 1.0 1.4 1.4 1.2 Mediterranean and Black Sea 22.0 28.5 29.3 26.9 25.9 Pacific, Northwest 54.8 52.2 71.4 74.8 66.8 Pacific, Southeast 0.1 2.1 3.9 4.6 2.5 Pacific, Southwest 0.0 0.0 0.2 9.1 0.4 Pacific, Western Central 7.4 11.1 20.9 23.8 19.2 TOTAL 180.5 210.6 291.9 299.6 305.9

2004 45.7 14.9 1.6 25.6 12.6 2.6

2005 71.6 17.6 1.8 10.7 11.7 2.5

25.0 73.4 3.6 0.6 19.5 225.0

31.3 75.3 3.7 0.5 16.6 243.3

China is by far the main octopus fishing nation with catches exceeding 100 000 tonnes. This country started octopus catching rather recently, in the year 2000, catches did not even exceed

10

Table 4: Octopus catches by country – in 1 000 tonnes 1980 1985 1990 China 0.0 0.0 1.1 Japan 46.1 40.2 55.1 Morocco 6.4 21.3 52.3 Spain 57.7 51.5 38.1 Korea, Republic of 18.5 20.4 11.8 Thailand 5.7 9.2 18.5 Mauritania 3.5 22.1 28.5 Italy 12.1 13.2 15.1 Portugal 5.4 3.9 7.0 Mexico 6.5 6.7 16.4 Others 19.8 22.6 50.4 TOTAL 181.7 211.1 294.4

1995 3.5 51.9 57.8 44.0

2000 4.6 47.4 99.4 25.7

2004 136.2 54.7 19.2 18.8

2005 114.8 55.3 44.9 21.8

22.1 16.4 18.3 12.7 10.0 19.8 47.9 304.3

19.6 24.0 13.7 10.8 9.8 23.3 33.6 311.9

18.6 21.3 12.1 8.2 8.9 25.4 39.3 362.5

19.8 19.3 14.6 12.9 11.7 9.9 34.0 359.1

China is by far the main octopus fishing nation with catches exceeding 100 000 tonnes. This country started octopus catching rather recently, in the year 2000, catches did not even exceed 5 000 tonnes. Japanese catches are fairly stable at 55 000 tonnes. There are some signs of overfishing of the octopus resource in Moroccan waters. Stringent resource management measures, including closed season, resulted in a substantial decline in catches but in recent years catches have been coming back. This shows that the measures have saved the delicate octopus resource. Mauritania, another octopus producer, reports 14 600 tonnes of octopus catches but exports exceed 20 000 tonnes. Spanish octopus catches were hit by the closure of the Moroccan fishing area for Spanish cephalopod boats. As a result, total octopus catches by this country dropped from a peak of 92 000 tonnes back in 1975 to only 20 000 tonnes at present.

2.4. Octopus aquaculture Up to present, the full system of octopus aquaculture has not been successful. In the 1960s, Japan cultured some 100 tonnes of octopus but production was stopped. At present only Spain reports a small production of 16 tonnes per year. The country is though successful in ongrowing of octopus, similar to bluefin fattening. Ongrowing cycles in cages are still mainly been carried out at an experimental basis, however, the results are promising. Weight increases of 650 g per month are reported, so that the octopus could reach a good commercial weight of 2.5 kg in just three months. As octopus demand a relatively high price on the market, it is likely that there will be more of octopus fattening in coming years.

2.5. Quality requirements, grading and preparation of octopus Octopus is sold fresh or frozen, whole (clean and debeaked) or as Octopus legs, and raw or cooked.

Preferred species for the European market are Octopus vulgaris and Eledone spp. Preferred imported species for the Japanese market are O. vulgaris and O. dofleini. O. maya is playing a certain role in the European and Japanese market.

Octopus is usually eaten fresh (boiled), dried or semi-preserved, unlike other cephalopod species, octopus is never eaten raw. Products include boiled, vinegared, seasoned, smoked and dried octopus.

Most octopuses are debeaked and eviscerated before being frozen whole in 10 lb or 5 kg blocks. Yield on processing is up to 80 per cent. Packs may weigh 10 or 20 kg with master cartons of 20 kg net weight. For the fresh market, octopus may be frozen whole head-on or whole-gutted. Boiled, chopped octopus is very popular in all Mediterranean countries. Chapter 5 gives recipes for the main octopus dishes in Europe and in Japan.

11

In Japan, octopus is usually imported whole, cleaned (gutted) and block frozen. Almost the entire stock is boiled by processors to meet the Japanese requirement. They are then either shipped in this form or further processed into various products. Quantities of over 4 kg are marinated with vinegar.

Those of 3-4 kg weight are marinated or seasoned, 2-3 kg sizes are usually boiled, while those under 0.5 are seasoned.

Octopus should not be unduly damaged, smeared with ink, or otherwise discoloured. Frozen blocks should be graded, glazed, wrapped in foil and frozen. World quality requirements are the same as those used in Japan which requires that octopus be defect free with skin intact, fresh, odor free, frozen to a core temperature of -18 °C and naturally coloured. Intestines must be removed with absolutely no parts remaining. If head-on, the head is to be returned to its original position. Actual weight during packing should be 5% more than declared weight.

Table 5: Commercial grading for octopus grade: T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8

> 4kg 3-4 kg 2-3 kg 1.5 -2 kg 1 - 1.5 kg 0.5 - 1 kg 0.3 - 0.5 kg < 0.3 kg

most popular size in Japan

Following are some of the most common ways of preparing octopus: Boiled: viscera is removed. Small and medium sized octopuses are processed whole, while larger ones are processed after being divided. In order to derive firm flesh after boiling, sufficient and rapid heat has to be applied to reach the central portion. Over boiling tends to spoil taste, texture and appearance.

The product should have a glossy purple-red colour and the tentacles should be coiled into a spiral.

Boiled octopus is sliced thin and boiled with soybean and potatoes, seasoned and grated with Japanese horseradish (wasabe). Boiled octopuses are packed in 4 kinds of containers with ice, each containing 4, 5, 7 and 8 animals respectively. In Mediterranean Europe, chopped, boiled octopus is sold in 200400 g packs to retailers, and 3-4 kg packs for restaurants and catering. Vinegared: octopus is cut into a fixed size, immersed in a mixture of vinegar, salt and sweetened respectively. It is stored and transported in this state, and sold in the marinate.

Seasoned: small sized octopuses (500 g) have poor taste and market value. Octopus is boiled in order to make it marketable. After cooling, the surface water is removed and the boiled octopus is sealed in a small vinyl bag in a mixture of water, soy sauce, salt, sweetening and artificial sweetening. The marinate penetrates the flesh after several days and the octopus is ready for consumption. Smoked: a small species, Octopus ocelatus is mainly used as raw material. After seasoning, boiled octopus is airdried and smoked in a smoke house at 50°-90°C for several hours. The smoked octopus is cut into slices which are packed in small bags and sold as processed delicacies.

Dried: these are usually sun/air or machine dried. Dried octopus is processed in some districts as a traditional food. The head of a small octopus (1-3 kg) is split open and viscera and eyeballs removed.

After washing, the base of the arm is cut open. A U-shaped piece of split bamboo is inserted into the trunk to expand it into a spherical shape. Thus shaped, it is sun-dried for several days in an airy place.

Dried octopus is eaten with soy sauce after being torn to bits and roasted or immersed in boiling water for a short time.

12

Figure 1 Octopus processing flow chart

13

3. MAIN SUPPLIERS AND EXPORTERS Table 6: Octopus exports â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in tonnes 1976 1980 1985 China Morocco Viet Nam Spain 64,693 31,825 42,805 Mauritania 11,665 5,332 21,860 Thailand 1,267 2,264 9,412 Philippines Senegal 1,237 1,563 Indonesia India Others 16,382 5,673 9,848 TOTAL 95,244 45,094 85,488

1990

24,359 28,200 13,572 48 329 24,708 91,216

1995 2000 2005 14,900 36,208 45,029 66,005 99,385 38,331 989 13,422 30,996 23,623 27,842 30,190 18,106 13,691 14,463 12,133 12,256 10,010 6,738 11,732 8,825 7,206 423 985 4,978 1,712 2,099 4,075 24,383 24,181 32,282 169,012 241,801 226,385

In volume terms, China became the main octopus exporter in 2004, when the Moroccan production was hit by a major crisis. Despite the Moroccan recovery in 2005, China continued to be the main exporter also during this year. In value terms, however, Morocco is still the main octopus exporter, followed by Spain (several re-exports through Las Palmas). China is only number three of octopus exporters in value terms. Total octopus exports are worth more than US$ 900 million. Unit value of octopus is highest for Mauritania and Morocco, while the Asian exporters report a far lower value.

Value of Mauritanian or Moroccan octopus exceeds US$ 6.00/kg, while Chinese octopus reaches about US$ 2.60/kg only. It is interesting to note that, apart from Spain, all main octopus exporting countries are from the developing world.

Table 7: Octopus exports â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in 1000 US$ 1976 1980 1985 1990 Morocco Spain 68,115 93,239 93,924 87,414 China Mauritania 10,635 5,205 50,824 96,828 Viet Nam Senegal 3,369 2,456 Thailand 795 1,972 5,490 17,563 Philippines Tunisia 3,018 8,766 7,658 23,322 Portugal 1,612 3,563 Others 7,612 8,304 11,570 45,124 TOTAL 93,544 117,486 173,534 273,814

1995 2000 2005 297,916 276,160 236,535 103,718 73,998 159,883 47,381 76,095 117,338 122,582 33,270 94,031 1,963 26,465 70,814 31,564 31,331 21,585 26,750 22,014 24,460 22,234 8,230 2,925 21,488 8,749 3,819 20,632 64,245 59,603 110,349 708,129 598,380 911,618

3.1. Morocco The graph on Moroccan octopus production (see below) shows better than thousands words the dramatic situation of the octopus resource off Morocco in the early 2000s. After peaking at 112 000 tonnes in 2001, catches declined sharply in 2002 to only 39 000 tonnes. In the following year the Moroccan authorities took drastic steps to protect the resource, steps which were seen as very invasive by the local fishermen. In the period 2001-2004, some 23 months were dedicated to a complete fishing ban for octopus, with a record of 8.5 months in 2004. The 62 processing units based on octopus

14

fishing went through an extremely difficult period in these years; 21 units out of them were converted to small pelagic processing plants with a strong assistance from the Moroccan Government. There are reports that illegal fishing is carried out during the fishing bans and that these products are traded. The official figures for octopus landings show the positive indication of a recovery during 2005 and 2006, a sign that efforts to protect the resource have worked out.

Table 8: Moroccan octopus exports by country of destination â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in 1 000 tonnes 199 199 199 199 199 199 199 200 200 200 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 Spain 9.3 9.5 6.8 6.0 7.0 9.1 14.7 18.1 22.9 17.4 Italy 6.1 8.8 7.6 5.2 4.0 4.5 7.5 10.7 9.4 9.7 Japan 41.6 40.7 47.7 38.1 29.3 45.7 57.0 62.7 38.3 44.1 Greece 0.5 1.4 1.6 1.1 1.1 1.6 2.8 2.6 2.6 3.2 Others 1.8 2.2 2.2 1.8 2.9 1.0 1.8 5.2 3.3 2.3 World 59.3 62.7 66.0 52.3 44.3 62.0 83.7 99.4 76.5 76.7

200 3 17.3 9.0 20.2 3.3 1.7 51.5

200 4 13.0 5.1 4.4 0.6 0.6 23.6

200 5 18.0 10.1 10.3 1.7 0.4 40.5

Source: COMTRADE

Figure 2

Moroccan octopus production 120,000

100,000

in tonnes

80,000

60,000

40,000

20,000

0 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

15

200 6 19.6 12.2 7.0 2.4 2.6 43.8

Table 9: Comparison: Moroccan octopus exports versus production - in 1 000 tonnes Production

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 63.9 56.3 57.8 58.6 38.2 42.5 84.6

Exports

59.3

62.7

66

52.3

44.3

4.5

-6.4

-8.2

6.4

-6.1

Difference

62 19.5

83.7 0.8

Production

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 99.4 113 38.7 28.9 19.2 44.9

Exports

99.4

76.5

76.7

0

36.1

-38

Difference

51.5 22.6

23.6

40.5

-4.5

4.4

43.8

During several years, Morocco exported more than what it produced, while imports never exceeded 300 tonnes. While in some years, such as 2001/2002, there was a strong carry over which could explain the higher exports, however, during the following years higher exports can only be explained by illegal octopus reaching the market and being exported.

In recent years, political pressures on the fishing authorities to allow higher fishing quotas have been fierce. The measure of transferable fishing quotas caused several complains by the fishermenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s associations. These quotas create social frictions and encourage vessel owners to dismiss fishermen without indemnities and are likely to lead to concentration of fishing quotas in very few hands.

Fishermenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s associations also request the Government to revise the octopus management plans from time to time, based on scientific evidence, allowing higher quotas once the recovery of the octopus stock becomes apparent.

The presentation of Moroccan octopus is very sophisticated. Large specimens are hand-flowered, that means all tentacles are arranged around the body (see photo) and IQF frozen. This product receives a very good price on the European market.

In November 2005, the EU decided to set a minimum size at 450 g (gutted) for octopus (Octopus vulgaris) in the maritime waters under the sovereignty or jurisdiction of third countries and situated in the CECAF region. Octopus under the minimum size of 450 g (gutted) shall not be retained on board or be transhipped, landed, transported, stored, sold, displayed or offered for sale, but shall be returned immediately to the sea. No imports into the EU from CECAF countries can thus be below this minimum size.

Traditional consumption of octopus in Morocco is low. There are some recipes existing in the country but the main consumption in Morocco is by tourists in restaurants along the Moroccan coastline.

3.2. Mauritania Mauritania has only started recently to give octopus landing statistics to FAO. The graph indicates a steady decline in production. All indications go for an overexploitation of the existing octopus resource. The access to the Mauritanian octopus resource is distributed between the artisanal fishermen (pot fishing), national industrial fisheries (by trawlers donated in the early nineties by Chinese Development Assistance) and 43 EU trawlers under the 2006-2012 fishing agreement. The catches by each of these categories are up to estimates, from the published and grey material available,

16

the author would estimate the artisanal octopus fisheries at around 7 500 tonnes, the industrial at about 10 000 tonnes and the EU trawlers at about 12 000 tonnes.

Figure 3 Octopus catches - Mauritania 45,000

40,000

35,000

tonnes

30,000

25,000

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

0 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Mauritanian octopus statistics are thus difficult to interpret. Official trade statistics talk about 14 400 tonnes of exports in 2005, while the sum of all imports of octopus from Mauritania during the same year was 29 400 tonnes. 2006 statistics show a 10% decline in exports to 27 000 tonnes. Main octopus importing country in the 2006 statistics was Japan with 16 600 tonnes, down from 19 500 tonnes in 2005. This country accounts for over 50% of total Mauritanian octopus exports. Spain and Italy are importing important quantities of octopus from Mauritania, between 4 000 and 5 000 tonnes.

Octopus export earnings are important for the Mauritanian industry. Total export earnings in 2005, the last year for which complete export statistics are available, exceeded US$ 170 million. Total foreign exchange earnings of the Mauritanian industry were US$ 980 million, thus octopus accounted for about 18% of total import earnings. However, back in 1995, the share of octopus was much more important at 32% of total foreign exchange earnings.

17

Table 10: Mauritanian octopus exports – in tonnes 1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

Japan

30883

26052

25921

22976

20992

18613

24785

Spain

4928

2199

2622

2080

1910

2604

3143

Italy

0

2604

4880

2991

2548

1144

3218

China

0

0

31

55

160

286

1747

2723

1322

311

931

69

91

336

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

185

598

486

355

514

229

765

38719

32775

34251

29389

26192

22967

33993

2000 21272 2657 2687 1943 347 0 816

2001 10248 2735 7085 1624 465 0 1096

2002 7622 2562 6037 2904 387 0 484

2003 11777 3488 4095 1704 796 0 333

2004 14487 2897 3464 1150 224 14 39

2005 19460 2816 5386 1196 497 14 52

2006 16600 4900 3374 1165 607 283 74

Greece Morocco Others Grand Total

Japan Spain Italy China Greece Morocco Others Grand Total

29722 23254 19996 22193 22275 29421 27004 This table is based on import statistics by main importing countries; source both national statistics plus COMTRADE

While the official Mauritanian catch and trade statistics, as reported to FAO, almost balance (see table below) the statistics reported by each importing country, when compared to catches show a difference of over 10 000 tonnes. Probably this difference is represented by catches from foreign fleets (mainly Spanish vessels) landed in Mauritanian harbours and then exported overseas.

Table 11: Mauritanian octopus catches compared with exports – in tonnes Catches

1993 23 230

1994 21 520

1995 18 250

1996 18 770

1997 14 620

1998 18 420

1999 12 758

Export quantity (FAO)

22 960

21 338

18 106

18 640

14 567

13 607

12 724

270

182

144

130

53

4 813

34

Export (by importing countries)

38 719

32 775

34 251

29 389

26 192

22 967

33 993

Difference to catches (catches – export by importing country)

-15 489

-11 255

-16 001

-10 619 -11 572

-4 547

-21 235

Catches – export (FAO)

18

cont.

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

Catches

13 709

13 576

11 300

12 000

12 104

14 634

Export quantity (FAO)

13 691

13 469

11 241

11 892

12 060

14 463

18

107

59

108

44

171

Export (by importing countries)

29722

23 254

19 996

22 193

22 275

29 421

Difference to catches (catches – export by importing country)

-16 013

-9 678

-8 696

-10 193 -10 171

-14 787

Catches – export (FAO)

Table 12: Comparison: Mauritanian and Moroccan catches versus exports from both countries – in 1000 tonnes 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Production 87.1 77.8 76.1 77.4 52.8 61.0 97.3 113.1 126.2 50.0 40.9 Exports 98.1 95.5 100.3 81.7 70.4 85.0 117.7 129.1 99.8 96.7 73.7 Difference -10.9 -17.7 -24.2 -4.3 -17.6 -24.0 -20.4 -16.0 26.4 -46.7 -32.8

2004 2005 31.3 59.6 45.9 69.9 -14.6 -10.3

3.3. China Very little is known about the Chinese octopus production. While a certain part of the production is coming from the fishing areas around China, the majority is without doubt taken outside this area, especially in the Eastern Central Atlantic. As the graph shows, production suddenly started to be recorded in 2003, in 2004 a peak of 140 000 tonnes was reached. Chinese consumers are not found of octopus, so most of the catch is exported.

Chinese octopus exports grew impressively over the years to reach 40 000 tonnes in 2004, worth almost US$ 100 million. Since that date, lower catches led to lower exports but still total octopus exports from China were worth almost US$ 90 million in 2006.

Unit value of Chinese octopus exports follows the international market demand, seeing a strong increase during the past three years. In 2006, the unit value reached a high US$ 2.76/kg, still far below, however, the Moroccan octopus export price.

The Republic of Korea is by far the main importing country of octopus from China. Practically some 90% of Chinese octopus exports end up in the Republic of Korea, only 9% goes to Japan, while other countries import only small quantities of octopus from China. China is very close to Morocco with regard to total octopus exports. In the coming years, China will overtake Morocco with regard to export earnings from octopus exports.

19

Figure 4 Chinese octopus landings 160000 140000 120000 100000 80000 60000 40000 20000

20 04

20 02

20 00

19 98

19 96

19 94

19 92

19 90

19 88

19 86

19 84

19 82

19 80

0

Figure 5

$120

45,000 40,000

$100

tonnes

Millions

Chinese Octopus Exports - Value versus Quantity

35,000 $80

30,000 Trade Value 25,000

$60 20,000 $40

15,000 10,000

$20 5,000 $0

0 05 20 03 20 01 20 99 19 97 19 95 19 93 19 05 20 03 20 01 20 99 19 97 19 95 19 93 19

20

Trade Quantity

Table 13: Chinese exports by country of destination â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in 1000 tonnes 1993 0

1994 0.5

1995 8.8

1996 26.8

1997 17.5

1998 16.2

1999 26.8

Japan

0.2

0.1

6.5

6.4

5.4

7

7.7

USA

0.1

0

0.7

0.4

0.8

0.3

0.8

Rep. of Korea

Thailand China, Hong Kong SAR

0

0

0.2

0.1

0.1

0

0

0

0

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.6

0.2

Viet Nam

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0 0.2

0 0.8

0 16.8

0.4 34.4

0.2 24.5

0.2 24.3

0.1 35.7

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

26.5

36

35.6

41.4

48

37.7

42.9

Japan

8.3

6.4

7.8

4.2

7

5.2

4.3

USA

0.6

0.8

1.1

1.1

0.9

0.8

1

0

0.1

0

0

0

0.2

0.7

0.5

0.3

0

0

0

0.2

0.1

0

0

0.1

0

0

0

0

0 36.2

0.7 44.4

0.6 45.1

1.1 47.9

1.1 57.3

0.3 44.8

0 49.3

Others Total

Rep. of Korea

Thailand China, Hong Kong SAR Viet Nam Others Total Source: COMTRADE

Figure 6

Unit value of Chinese octopus exports $4.00 $3.50 $3.00

US$/kg

$2.50 $2.00 $1.50 $1.00 $0.50 $0.00 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005

21

3.4. Spain Spain is a main producer of octopus but also a main consumer. Traditionally the Spanish fleet was harvesting octopus on the Saharan Bank but the establishment of national EEZs and the later phasing out of fishing agreements with Morocco put an end to this fisheries. The new EU-Moroccan fishing agreement excludes cephalopods in a move to protect this valuable resource, principally octopus. The following graph shows the impressive decline of Spanish octopus catches that had peaked in 1975 at more than 100 000 tonnes to below 20 000 tonnes in 2004. The dramatic decline in the late nineties was caused by the phasing out of the EU-Moroccan fishing agreement.

As a result of the decline of domestic octopus catches, Spain became a main importing country of octopus, but still, it is also an important exporter of octopus, due to the landings and shipments of octopus through the traditional market place Las Palmas.

Figure 7 Octopus catches by Spain 120,000

100,000

tonnes

80,000

60,000

40,000

20,000

19 50 19 52 19 54 19 56 19 58 19 60 19 62 19 64 19 66 19 68 19 70 19 72 19 74 19 76 19 78 19 80 19 82 19 84 19 86 19 88 19 90 19 92 19 94 19 96 19 98 20 00 20 02 20 04

0

A detailed listing of the fishing areas of Spanish catches shows that landings from the Northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean have stayed quite stable over the years, while the main decline occurred in the Saharan Bank.

Table 14: Spanish octopus catches â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in tonnes 1980 1985 Atlantic, Eastern Central 45,251 40,343 Mediterranean and Black Sea Atlantic, Northeast 7,725 4,052 Atlantic, Southeast Indian Ocean, Western Mediterranean and Black Sea 4,717 7,111 TOTAL 57,693 51,506

22

1990 25,741

1995 31,000

2000 11,379

2004 8,142

2005 9,894

6,757 -

7,318 -

28 6,339 47 -

12 5,572 <0.5 -

16 5,772 62 -

5,600 38,098

5,700 44,018

7,889 25,682

5,026 18,752

6,048 21,792

Despite all declines in octopus landings, Spain continues to be a major exporter of octopus, mainly to the Italian and Portuguese markets. Total exports are in the range of 27 000 tonnes per year. Exports of octopus even increased, despite the decline in catches. This shows that Spain is still a main trading partner for octopus shipments, especially through the Las Palmas facilities.

Table 15: Spanish octopus exports â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in 1000 tonnes 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Italy 2.9 4.0 6.9 6.2 9.1 8.0 9.8 9.1 9.1 7.5 9.2 8.8 Portugal 1.7 1.5 1.8 2.7 2.8 5.1 6.7 6.2 6.4 6.3 8.1 8.5 Japan 1.7 2.9 12.1 14.4 14.5 8.1 3.9 3.6 5.8 5.9 5.8 4.2 Greece 0.9 0.7 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.7 1.9 1.9 1.7 1.8 2.0 Germany 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4 Others 1.2 1.4 2.3 2.0 3.2 3.9 3.2 2.8 2.7 2.4 2.4 2.8 Grand Total 9.9 11.8 25.6 27.8 32.0 27.7 26.7 25.0 27.2 25.1 28.6 27.7 Source: EUROSTAT

3.5. Viet Nam Viet Nam is one of the major octopus exporting countries but unfortunately the country does not specify cephalopod landings. In 2005 the country reported almost 200 000 tonnes of unspecified cephalopod landings, of which an important quantity was octopus.

Octopus inhabits in the Gulf of Tonkin waters, at the depth of 10-50 m, mainly around Cai Chien, Co To island (Quang Ninh province), Bach Long Vi, Cat Ba (Hai Phong province), Hon Me (Thanh Hoa province) and is scattered in the Central waters, especially in Phan Rang, Phan Thiet, and Binh Thuan provinces. Similar to some cuttlefishes, octopus lives mainly in the bottom layers of 30-80 m. Only one species, O. aegina (O. aegina has frequently been treated under the name of a junior synonym, Octopus dollfusi) appears in the central and southern waters of Viet Nam. There are two main seasons in Viet Nam, i.e. northern season and southern season: - northern season: in January, February, March and April.

- southern season: from June to September.

There is no specific fishing gear for octopus. They are caught mainly by marine fishes fishing gears, especially trawlers.

Exports of octopus in Viet Nam have been expanding rapidly, partly due to the increase in the catch of trawlers, especially offshore fishing. Most of the processed products are frozen, e.g. block, IQF, semi-IQF, frozen on tray, vacuum packing. Their forms of processing include fillet, steak, flowered, ready-to-eat, sushi, sashimi, and others.

Table 16: Vietnamese octopus exports â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in tonnes 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 989 4,264 13,806 12,364 15,509 13,422 20,583 26,317 23,351 35,688 30,996 Viet Nam reported quite high octopus exports in 2004 with 35 700 tonnes, to decline somewhat to 31 000 tonnes in 2005. Indications are for a recovery of exports in 2006, as can be seen from the below COMTRADE table. Similar to Chinese exports, the Republic of Korea is the main importing country of octopus from Viet Nam, taking advantage of lower tariffs on octopus imports, which the Republic of Korea has granted to exporting countries in recent years. This country alone accounts for more than half of Vietnamese octopus exports. Italy has emerged as an important market for Vietnamese octopus, especially the baby octopus, well liked

23

in the seafood salad producing industry. Surprisingly, Japan is only number three importer of Vietnamese octopus, with an about stable tendency.

Vietnamese exports going to the European market are mainly baby octopus (Octopus aegina also named O. dollfusi). This species is caught in the southern part of Viet Nam as well as in Thailand and India. It is processed whole, gutted, eyes off, teeth off. Baby octopuses, which are blue ringed, are larger and more developed than other octopuses. In the course of one year baby octopuses grow quickly to 2-3 pounds. They are born about one quarter of an inch long. In the early stages they swim to the surface and float around as plankton - tiny plants and animals that drift in the ocean - until they settle down on the sea belt when they are about 1 ½ pound in weight growing at great speed - reaching 2-3 pounds in one year, continuing to gain 2% of body weight per day. Despite the large size they can reach, the market size is small. Animals weighing between 10 and 20 g each are the norm of the octopus exported to the European market. Some specimens reach 100 g, but they are rather the exception.

Table 17: Vietnamese octopus exports by country of destination â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in 1000 tonnes Rep. of Korea Italy Japan Spain Australia USA China Others Grand Total

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 0.0 0.4 0.4 2.4 2.8 3.2 5.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 1.2 1.7 1.5 0.0 0.5 0.5 1.4 3.6 3.5 4.2 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.3 0.7 1.3 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.0 0.2 0.5 0.3 0.6 0.4 0.6 0.2 1.2 2.1 4.6 8.9 10.1 14.1

Rep. of Korea Italy Japan Spain Australia USA China Others Grand Total

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 7.6 10.2 12.8 14.2 17.9 16.2 19.0 1.3 2.3 2.9 3.5 3.8 3.8 5.6 2.4 3.9 4.7 4.9 5.9 5.6 5.5 1.2 1.2 1.1 2.0 1.8 2.0 1.9 0.2 0.4 0.5 0.9 1.0 1.3 1.3 0.1 0.5 0.4 1.0 0.9 0.9 1.0 0.2 0.4 0.9 0.9 1.6 2.1 0.8 0.6 0.9 0.9 1.4 1.2 1.1 1.3 13.6 19.8 24.3 28.7 34.1 33.0 36.4

Source: COMTRADE, these statistics are based on import statistics by declaring countries plus some national import statistics for 2006.

Vietnamese octopus is of very low market value, which is prompted by the small size of the species exported. During the past 12 years under review, the value has increased slightly, which reflects the entrance of Italy as one of the main markets. In 2006, the average price reached US$ 2.12/kg.

24

Figure 8 Unit value of Vietnamese octopus exports 2.4 2.2

US$/kg

2 1.8 1.6 1.4 1.2 1 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

3.6. Thailand Thailand catches and exports both giant octopus (O. dolfeini) and baby octopus (O. aegina). The catch of the latter is estimated at about 15 000 tonnes per year.

Total Thai octopus catches peaked at over 30 000 tonnes in 1998 and has since declined steadily to about 20 000 tonnes in 2005. It is interesting to note that Thai octopus catches are equally distributed between the Pacific and the Indian Ocean. Octopus catches in the Indian Ocean areas have started relatively recently, in the mid eighties, but at present this fishing area is more important than the traditional Western Central Pacific one. There are indications that the Pacific octopus resource off Thailand is under stress as most other fisheries resources in the Gulf of Thailand.

Table 18: Thai octopus landings by fishing area â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in tonnes 1980 1985 1990 1995 Indian Ocean, Eastern 303 2,704 5,541 Pacific, Western Central 5,738 8,922 15,828 10,828 TOTAL 5,738 9,225 18,532 16,369

Indian Ocean, Eastern Pacific, Western Central TOTAL

2001

2002

14,267 8,065 22,332

13,073 10,885 23,958

2004

2005

13,644

10,249 11,028

10,457

8,469 22,113

9,449 10,228 19,698 21,256

8,888 19,345

25

2003

2000

Figure 9

Thai Octopus catches 35000 30000

tonnes

25000 20000 15000 10000 5000 0 1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

Table 19: Thai octopus exports by product â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in tonnes 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Octopus, frozen 11,601 13,315 12,085 12,635 11,865 10,811 12,750 Octopus, live, fresh or chilled 37 59 48 198 129 212 395 TOTAL 11,638 13,374 12,133 12,833 11,994 11,023 13,145

Octopus, frozen Octopus, live, fresh or chilled TOTAL

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 12,055 11,107 10,996 10,770 12,622 9,996 201 58 105 134 156 14 12,256 11,165 11,101 10,904 12,778 10,010

Thai octopus exports reflect the up-and-downs of production over the years under review. In 1999, exports peaked at 13 100 tonnes to come down to 11 000 tonnes in the following years. In 2006, national statistics indicate a decline to only 8 000 tonnes. Fresh and chilled octopus exports are marginal and most of the product is exported in frozen form. Similar to Viet Nam, the presentation of octopus exports is very sophisticated.

Italy and Japan are the main importing countries of Thai octopus, with Japanese importers preferring the bigger octopus and the Italian market taking the baby octopus. In 2006, Japanese imports from Thailand went down as bigger sized octopus from Morocco returned to the market, while Italian imports continued high.

26

Table 20: Thai octopus exports by country of destination â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in 1000 tonnes 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Japan 4.8 5.6 4.5 4.5 3.9 2.2 3.3 Italy 2.1 1.8 2.3 2.5 2.5 3.0 3.2 Rep. of Korea 0.0 0.2 0.1 0.5 0.3 0.0 0.0 Australia 0.9 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.9 USA 0.5 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.9 Others 3.3 4.0 3.5 3.3 3.2 3.7 3.8 World 11.6 13.4 12.2 12.9 12.0 11.0 13.2 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Japan 4.8 3.5 3.9 2.9 3.4 3.0 1.9 Italy 3.0 2.6 3.1 3.4 5.1 2.9 3.4 Rep. of Korea 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.7 1.2 1.6 1.0 Australia 1.6 1.6 1.1 1.2 0.7 0.7 0.6 USA 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.5 0.9 Others 2.3 2.5 2.2 2.4 1.6 2.4 0.5 World 12.3 11.2 11.1 11.0 12.7 11.1 8.3

The unit value of Thai octopus exports shows various things. First of all, the average unit value is much higher than the one of Viet Nam. Secondly, Japanese octopus imports lost value over the years, while Italy became the most expensive market for Thai octopus exports.

Figure 10

Unit value of Thai octopus exports 4.5 4 3.5

Italy World Japan USA

2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 19 93 19 94 19 95 19 96 19 97 19 98 19 99 20 00 20 01 20 02 20 03 20 04 20 05

US$/kg

3

27

3.7. Mexico Mexico is an important octopus producer, landing mainly O. vulgaris and O. maya from the Atlantic coast of Yucatan. On the Pacific coast, the only species landed is: Paraoctopus limaculatus but the production of this fishing area is very limited.

Landings in Mexico are normally around 20 000 tonnes, with a peak of 30 000 tonnes registered in 1996. However, in 2005 catches registered a sharp decline to only 10 000 tonnes. In the Yucatan area, landings vary between 10 000 and 15 000 tonnes. This decline was prompted by bad catches in the Yucatan, which were only 5 000 tonnes, and resulted in more than US$ 2.8 million in economic losses for the local industry. The figures are dismal when compared to the 2004 campaign when some 13 000 tonnes of octopus were landed. Blaming the 2005 woes on inclement weather, Yucatan entrepreneurs and fishers agree that this has been the worst year in history for Mexican octopus fishing. During 2005, no octopus from Yucatan could be exported to Japan or Europe. Moreover, the local industry was forced to purchase octopus in Campeche to maintain at least some of its foreign markets. The octopus season in Yucatan involves up to 20 000 fishermen, a figure which shows the importance of octopus fisheries for the local population. Fortunately, 2006 was a normal year of production, bringing catches back to the 2004 level.

Figure 11

Mexican octopus landings 35,000 30,000

tonnes

25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000

19 66 19 68 19 70 19 72 19 74 19 76 19 78 19 80 19 82 19 84 19 86 19 88 19 90 19 92 19 94 19 96 19 98 20 00 20 02 20 04

0

Table 21: Mexican octopus exports by country of destination â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in 1000 tonnes 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Italy 0.0 0.0 1.5 3.8 0.3 0.2 1.3 0.7 2.6 1.1 2.1 2.0 2.9 Spain 0.0 1.3 5.8 6.7 1.7 0.6 0.8 1.4 1.1 0.2 1.0 1.0 2.0 Japan 0.0 0.3 4.0 2.0 1.7 0.0 1.1 0.6 0.4 0.0 0.7 0.1 1.7 Panama 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.9 0.0 2.5 0.0 0.6 USA 0.3 4.0 3.6 1.1 0.2 0.5 0.6 0.8 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.1 0.5 Uruguay 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 1.8 0.7 0.8 0.2 1.5 0.5 0.3 Others 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.5 0.1 0.4 World 1.2 6.3 15.8 14.8 4.1 1.6 5.9 4.5 7.6 2.0 8.7 3.9 8.4 Source: COMTRADE, these statistics are based on import statistics by declaring countries plus some national import statistics for 2006.

28

Total Mexican octopus exports show the return to normal in octopus catches during 2006. Italy was the main importing country of Mexican octopus. In 2006, Mexico became the seventh most important exporter of octopus to the Italian market, while Spain and Japan experienced important ups-and-downs in imports of octopus from Mexico, depending mainly on the availability of octopus. Indications of the 2007 octopus fishing season are negative, with a substantial reduction, similar to the one experienced in 2005.

Mexico also has some home consumption of octopus, which is limited at about 10 000 tonnes, or 0.1 kg of consumption.

Figure 12

Unit value of Mexican octopus exports 6 5

US$/kg

4

Italy Japan Spain USA

3 2 1

19 94 19 95 19 96 19 97 19 98 19 99 20 00 20 01 20 02 20 03 20 04 20 05 20 06

0

3.8. Senegal Octopus catches by Senegal reached a peak of over 35 000 tonnes in 1999, to decline sharply since. It has to be noted that there is a marked difference between the declared exports and the declared catches, with in recent years, exports exceeding catches.

29

Table 22: Senegalese octopus exports by country of destination â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in tonnes 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 1993 Italy 0.0 4177.9 2861.7 2031.2 1194.6 3609.5 22027.5 Japan 228.3 1004.0 65.2 728.1 83.0 346.9 1174.8 Spain 999.3 874.4 892.8 667.1 1252.4 1455.6 5130.4 Greece 0.0 69.3 315.5 101.9 188.6 99.8 1765.8 Thailand 0.0 65.5 116.5 207.6 66.3 16.5 664.4 China 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Others 98.2 494.5 425.1 111.2 184.9 185.2 1417.5 Grand Total 1325.8 6685.6 4676.8 3847.1 2969.7 5713.5 32180.4 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Italy 7029.5 2639.3 10189.3 8299.0 5855.5 4744.1 Japan 1216.1 324.7 1787.1 1558.4 1905.2 1776.8 Spain 1000.5 769.5 1255.1 1979.9 1447.4 738.6 Greece 1539.7 87.0 423.5 711.5 255.9 730.0 Thailand 606.6 213.7 133.8 70.3 85.8 116.0 China 307.6 0.0 115.9 219.5 299.5 103.9 Others 867.0 316.6 332.1 171.6 190.5 350.1 Grand Total 12566.9 4350.8 14236.6 13010.2 10039.7 8559.6

2006 3666.5 930.8 522.5 336.3 172.5 142.7 258.1 6029.5

Source: COMTRADE, these statistics are based on import statistics by declaring countries plus some national import statistics for 2006.

Figure 13

Senegal octopus catches 40000 35000 30000 tonnes

25000 20000 15000 10000 5000

05

20

03 04 20

20

01 02 20

20

99 00 20

19

97 98 19

19

95 96 19

19

93 94 19

19

91 92 19

19

89 90 19

19

87 88 19

19

85 86 19

19

0

Senegalese octopus exports had an exploit in 1999, reaching 32 200 tonnes, from only 5 700 tonnes one year earlier. After this outstanding year, which was prompted by exceptionally high octopus catches, octopus exports have declined to 6 000 tonnes at present. By far the main octopus importing country of Senegalese octopus is Italy, followed by Japan and Spain. The unit value of octopus exports from Senegal went down sharply in 1999, when the bumper catch was registered, since then the unit

30

value has come up again to an average of US$ 5.00/kg. This unit value is in line with the product exported from Morocco, which underlines the good quality of Senegalese octopus in the world market.

Figure 14

Unit value of Senegalese octopus exports 7 6

US$/kg

5

Italy Japan Total

4 3 2 1

19 93 19 94 19 95 19 96 19 97 19 98 19 99 20 00 20 01 20 02 20 03 20 04 20 05 20 06

0

4. MAIN CONSUMERS AND IMPORTERS

Table 23: World octopus imports â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in 1000 tonnes Korea, Republic of Japan Italy Spain USA Portugal Greece China Thailand France Others TOTAL

1976 0.0 94.4 6.3 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.8 0.3 102.6

1980 0.0 63.5 11.9 2.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.6 1.3 79.9

1985 0.1 98.6 22.0 5.8 0.0 0.1 3.7 0.0 0.0 0.9 4.6 135.8

1990 0.2 91.5 28.8 12.2 7.8 1.4 3.0 0.0 0.0 1.4 6.9 153.2

1995 9.9 97.9 28.8 19.3 11.4 2.4 4.2 1.8 5.0 1.4 14.8 196.9

2000 36.4 116.3 36.3 30.3 12.9 6.2 7.2 7.1 4.7 2.7 16.7 276.7

2005 63.3 55.5 51.9 39.0 13.8 8.1 7.0 6.7 4.1 3.2 17.7 270.3

Import figures for octopus reflect the general trend experienced in catch and export: they have been increasing continuously from 1976 to 2000, to drop off in recent years. However, when looking at the 2005 figures, there is a 50 000 tonnes or 20% of total octopus, traded difference between exports and imports. This indicates that export figures are less accurate than the import figures.

The Republic of Korea emerged as the main importer of octopus in quantity terms in recent years. This was mainly due to the disappearance of import restrictions, favouring octopus imports. Japan thus has lost its top position to the Republic of Korea, with imports of octopus declining from a peak of 131 000 tonnes back in 1993 to 55 000 tonnes in 2005. During 2006, Japan saw a further decline in its

31

imports and was overtaken by Italy. The main reason for the continuous decline in Japanese imports is the consumer preference for the T3 size of octopus, which is 2-3 kg. Imports thus have to be O. vulgaris, while baby octopus is not accepted in this market and thus Japan depends completely on the supply from the Eastern Central Atlantic area, with all the problems in resource depletion and catch restrictions experienced. On the other hand, the Republic of Korea and Italy import in large quantities baby octopus, which seems to be in plenty supply, from Viet Nam and Thailand. It is interesting to note the emergence of the United States of America as a major octopus importer. In value terms Japan is still the main octopus importer, followed closely by Spain and Italy. In 2005, despite the declining quantities of octopus traded worldwide, the value of imports reached in new high of US$ 1.13 million.

Table 24: World octopus imports â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in million US$ 1976 1980 1985 Japan 121.2 195.8 233.1 Spain 0.7 4.1 9.5 Italy 5.4 23.8 30.3 Korea, Republic of 0.0 0.0 0.1 Greece 0.0 0.0 6.7 Portugal 0.0 0.0 0.1 United States of America 0.0 0.0 0.0 China 0.0 0.0 0.0 France 0.9 1.8 1.7 Germany 0.3 0.9 1.3 Other 0.0 3.0 5.2 TOTAL 128.6 229.5 287.9

1990 358.4 37.0 80.4 0.5 11.9 3.6

1995 533.8 84.0 113.7 23.6 20.8 8.4

2000 361.2 85.6 75.4 57.6 20.2 16.8

2005 312.6 227.6 226.9 137.3 44.6 43.4

22.2 0.0 4.2 5.3 15.8 539.2

40.3 7.2 5.9 9.7 61.2 908.7

32.0 15.8 6.0 5.5 49.3 725.4

39.4 19.0 12.4 10.8 60.1 1134.0

4.1. The Republic of Korea The Republic of Korea traditionally was protecting its fishing industry with high tariffs on seafood and an import licensing system. For cephalopods, imports were prohibited in order to defend the local fishery and save foreign exchange. In September 1991, the Government started to permit imports of octopus, starting with salted or in brine products. In January 1994, frozen octopus got liberalized. At present, the import tariff on octopus is still 20% but is reduced substantially under the ASEAN-Korea free trade agreement. The only country which is still not allowed to export frozen octopus to the Republic of Korea is the Dem. Republic of Korea.

After the liberalization in 1994, octopus imports into the Republic of Korea boomed, making the country the world top importing nation. Imports went up steadily from 10 000 tonnes in 1995 to 30 000 tonnes in the year 2000, to reach 52 500 tonnes in 2006. Judging from the available statistics for the opening months of 2007, imports of octopus into the Republic of Korea will continue to grow.

China is by far the main supplying country to the Korean market but Viet Nam has been growing strongly in recent years, to reach 19 000 tonnes in 2006. The ASEAN-Korean free trade agreement will give a further push to this trade in coming years. Total value of octopus imports into the Republic of Korea was US$ 121 million in 2006, a 23% increase over 2005.

32

Table 25: Republic of Korea octopus imports â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in tonnes 1990 1995 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 China 41.0 7448.8 20535.4 23598.8 24287.8 26420.7 31120.1 31155.4 30588.3 Viet Nam 0.0 443.3 7564.1 10197.4 12849.9 14165.3 17923.9 16235.2 18997.1 Thailand 0.0 212.2 43.0 523.8 462.1 651.1 1017.8 1715.5 1015.3 Indonesia 0.0 221.5 69.0 117.3 33.4 184.9 341.1 620.1 936.7 Others 178.4 1476.0 1301.9 2476.3 1439.4 1272.4 756.4 946.2 969.6 Total 219.4 9801.8 29513.5 36913.4 39072.6 42694.5 51159.3 50672.4 52507.0 Source: national statistics

Catches of octopus resented the introduction of import liberalization and declined sharply in the year 1994. However, the local fishermen seem to have managed to survive even in this open economy and catches recovered soon. At present about 20 000 tonnes of octopus are landed by Korean vessels, very much in line with pre-liberalization catch levels.

Korean vessels used to catch octopus in the Eastern Central Atlantic during the seventies and eighties.

Catches from this area were around 10 000 tonnes. Korean vessels left this area in 1990. At present, almost all the Korean catch of octopus originates from local waters.

Table 26: Republic of Korea octopus landings by fishing area â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in tonnes 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 Atlantic, Eastern Central .

2,134 10,079 1,118 .

Pacific, Northwest 1,500 1,300 2,900 8,354 10,663 TOTAL 1,500 1,300 5,034 18,453 11,786

2000

2005

387 19,148 19,605

19 19,685 19,765

Figure 15

Octopus catches by the Republic of Korea 30,000 25,000

tonnes

20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

33

The Republic of Korea is not only the world’s main octopus importing country but also, by far, the main octopus consumer. Not surprisingly the country has plenty of recipes on how to prepare octopus dishes (see Chapter 5). When calculating the live weight3 per caput consumption of octopus in the Republic of Korea, some 2 kg of octopus are consumed per year, which compares to 1.2 kg and 1.4 kg for Greece or Italy respectively, other huge consuming countries of octopus. The consumption of octopus grew enormously after the liberalization of octopus imports, in the 1980s the consumption was only 0.5 kg.

Table 27: Republic of Korea octopus per caput consumption – in tonnes 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 Catches 18453 20410 11786 22142 19605 Imports 0 280 800 12740 45140 Exports 1151 1855 7178 922 1017 Total 19604 22545 19764 35804 65761 Population 38124 40806 42869 45041 46835 per caput (kg) 0.45 0.46 0.13 0.75 1.36 Source: author’s calculations

2005 19765 78276 224 98265 48261 2.03

Despite the strong demand on the Korean market, the unit value of octopus sold to the country is not very high, just around US$ 2.50/kg. This can be explained with the preference for baby octopus, a species which commands a lower price. The trend is, however, an increasing one, a tendency which is likely to continue in coming years.

Figure 16

Unit value of Korean octopus imports 4 3.5 3 US$/kg

2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5

19 88 19 89 19 90 19 91 19 92 19 93 19 94 19 95 19 96 19 97 19 98 19 99 20 00 20 01 20 02 20 03 20 04 20 05 20 06 20 07

0

3

The live weight conversion factors used are: 1 for fresh, 1.3 for frozen and 4 for dried octopus.

34

4.2. Japan Japan used to be the main octopus importing country with more than 100 000 tonnes imports in the late 1980s. However, in recent years, imports have declined continuously, while the average price of octopus in the Japanese market has gone up steadily. Consumer resistance towards high prices was noticed by traders. As a result octopus consumption went down in recent years. Apart from the consumer resistance towards over-prized octopus, also changing consumer preference and the economic crisis experienced by Japan influenced the octopus market.

Figure 17

Japanese octopus prices 14.00 12.00

US$/kg

10.00

2.0/3.0 kg/pc 0.3/0.5 kg/pc

8.00 6.00 4.00 2.00 0.00 Jan-07 Jan-06 Jan-05 Jan-04 Jan-03 Jan-02 Jan-01 Jan-00 Jan-99 Jan-98 Jan-97 Jan-96 Jan-95 Jan-94 Jan-93 Jan-92 Jan-91 Jan-90 Jan-89 Jan-88 Jan-87 Jan-86 Jan-85 Jan-84

In Japan, octopus is eaten boiled rather than raw. Products include boiled, vinegar seasoned, smoked and dried. Boiled octopus is served as â&#x20AC;&#x153;sashimiâ&#x20AC;? or further seasoned and processed. Vinegar seasoned octopus is boiled, chopped and marinated in vinegar, salt and sugar. This seasoned octopus is made from small octopus, less than 500 g in size. It is boiled and marinated in soya sauce, salt, sweetening agent and artificial seasoning. Small octopus is also eaten as snack (Takoyaki) (see Chapter 5).

In Japan octopus is mainly imported whole, cleaned (gutted) and block frozen. Almost the entire stock is boiled by processors to meet the Japanese requirements. They are then either shipped in this form or further processed into various products. Quantities of over 4 kg are vinegared. Those of 3-4 kg weight are vinegared or seasoned, 2-3 kg sizes are usually boiled, while those under 0.5 are seasoned.

35

Table 28: Japanese octopus imports â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in 1000 tonnes 1985 1990 1995 2000 Mauritania 25.4 19.5 25.9 21.3 China * * * 3.4 Morocco 22.4 32.9 49.1 72.6 Spain 33.5 19.5 14.4 7.7 Viet Nam * * * 2.4 Thailand 4.8 6.6 4.0 4.4 Korea Rep 10.4 1.3 0.3 0.3 Others 2.1 11.7 4.2 4.2 Total 98.6 91.5 97.9 116.3 Source: national import statistics

2004 14.5 13.1 5.2 5.9 5.9 1.8

2005 19.5 9.9 8.7 6.2 5.6 3.0

2006 16.6 8.2 8.7 4.0 5.5 1.9

0.0 6.9 53.3

0.0 2.6 55.5

0.0 3.5 48.4

While Japanese octopus imports were around 100 000 tonnes during the 1980s and 1990s, to peak at 130 000 tonnes in 1993, imports have gone down during the course of recent years, to a low 48 400 tonnes in 2006. Japan was thus the hardest hit by resource problems and consequent catch restrictions in the Eastern Central Atlantic. Moroccan exports, especially to the Japanese market, declined impressively, from a peak of 72 600 tonnes in the year 2000 to a most 8 700 tonnes in 2006. On the other hand Mauritania maintained more or less its exports to the Japanese market, expanding its role in this market from a modest 18% in the year 2000 to 30% in 2006. China and Viet Nam increased their presence on the Japanese market, which indicates that the cheaper baby octopus, mainly used in the snack market, has increased its share in the Japanese market.

Figure 18

Unit value of Japanese octopus imports 7 6

US$/kg

5 4 3 2 1 0 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 Unit value of Japanese octopus imports is relatively high, especially when compared with the Korean values. An average unit value of US$ 6.00/kg has been recorded for recent years. This is caused by higher imports of large sized octopus, in fact 2-3 kg is the preferred size in the market and is still dominating the import trade.

36

Figure 19

Japanese octopus coldstorage holdings 30

25

1000 MT

20

15

10

5

0 Jan-03 Apr-03

Jul-03

Oct-03 Jan-04 Apr-04

Jul-04

Oct-04 Jan-05 Apr-05

Jul-05

Oct-05 Jan-06 Apr-06

Jul-06

Oct-06 Jan-07

Low octopus imports led to a substantial erosion of coldstorage holdings in the course of 2006 and early 2007. This in turn should help price up on the Japanese market. However, it seems likely that the average Japanese consumer has already turned his back to octopus, due to over-high prices and changes in consumer habits (more westernized food habits for the younger generation).

In the times of the distant water fisheries, before the event of the 200-mile EEZs in all major fishing area, Japan used to catch over 100 000 tonnes of octopus per year. However, after the declaration of the national EEZs, especially in the waters of the Eastern Central Atlantic, Japanese octopus fleet left this fishing area and catches collapsed. In recent years, however, catches have stabilized at around 55 000 tonnes.

Table 29: Japanese octopus catches by fishing area â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in tonnes Atlantic, Eastern Central Pacific, Northwest TOTAL

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2005

11,800 13,400 25,200

27,100 30,500 57,600

39,746 45,700 85,446

16 45,352 46,125

341 54,757 55,098

47,374 47,374

55,306 55,306

37

Figure 20

Japanese octopus catches 120,000 100,000

tonnes

80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 The combination of minor catches and declining imports has resulted in lower consumption of octopus in the Japanese market. In 2005, the consumption of octopus fell below the 1 kg mark, less than in 1980, while in the year 2000, 1.55 kg was consumed. The market situation is bleak, and even an improvement of the Japanese economy will not necessarily result in much higher octopus consumption.

Table 30: Japanese octopus per caput consumption â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in tonnes 1980 1985 1990 1995 46,125 40,207 55,098 51,874 Catches 82,506 128,184 118,631 127,257 Imports 449 1,027 831 890 Exports 128,182 167,364 172,898 178,241 Total 116,807 120,837 123,537 125,472 Population 1.10 1.39 1.40 1.42 per caput (kg) Source: authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s calculations Unlikely other fish and molluscs, octopus is never eaten raw in Japan. Even for the classical octopus sushi, the octopus is first boiled. First-class restaurants use only Japanese octopus; imported varieties are easily distinguished by the whitening of their suction cups when boiled. Octopus from the waters of Miura Peninsula, southwest of Tokyo, is boiled and softened using a special method. May through September is the best time to enjoy this delicacy. On the other end of the value scale is fast food octopus, or takoyaki. For this type of product generally small octopus or baby octopus are used. See chapter 5 for the recipe and more information.

38

2000 47,374 151,168 1,125 197,417 127,034 1.55

2005 55,306 72,203 1,160 126,350 128,815 0.98

4.3. Europe Table 31: EU* octopus imports by country of origin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in 1000 tonnes 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Morocco 15.5 23.6 30.5 36.7 32.0 27.7 Spain 7.9 14.8 13.1 16.3 17.0 17.5 Mauritania 3.9 6.7 5.7 10.3 9.0 8.1 Viet Nam 2.5 2.9 2.5 3.6 4.2 5.9 Mexico 2.9 2.3 2.6 3.7 5.9 2.0 India 1.1 3.1 2.3 2.7 3.1 3.7 Senegal 5.3 30.1 10.3 3.6 12.1 11.1 Thailand 4.9 4.7 4.0 4.3 4.1 4.3 China 2.3 2.2 1.4 3.7 3.0 4.3 Others 20.6 19.1 11.7 15.1 20.9 24.5 Total 67.0 109.5 84.2 100.2 111.5 109.0 * prior to 1999 EU-15, afterwards EU-27, source: EUROSTAT

2004 20.0 13.5 6.5 5.9 5.3 3.3 7.7 6.0 2.5 25.0 95.7

2005 29.0 18.4 8.7 6.0 5.8 4.2 6.4 4.2 1.5 25.1 109.3

Octopus imports into the EU have grown steadily to reach 117 800 tonnes in 2006. Main supplying country is Morocco, followed by Spain. The total value of octopus imports grew strongly from euro 223 million in 1998 to euro 470 million in 2006. There are obvious differences between the northern and southern part of the continent, with consumption much higher in Mediterranean countries than in the rest of the continent. Octopus consumption is close to zero in the new EU countries. Also the remaining European countries record very low octopus consumption. In fact, small Mediterranean countries, such as Cyprus and Malta, are reporting some octopus imports.

Tariffs on fresh, frozen or dried octopus imports into the EU are 8%. However, some of the main exporting countries, such as Morocco, Mauritania, Mexico, Senegal and Tunisia have a 0% duty under various duty concessions. Almost all other developing countries exporting octopus to the EU have a reduced tariff rate of 2.8%. These countries include Thailand, China, Viet Nam, India and Indonesia.

Table 32: EU* octopus imports by country of destination â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in 1000 tonnes 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Belgium 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.6 Cyprus 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.8 Germany 2.6 1.6 1.8 1.7 1.3 1.6 1.9 1.6 Denmark 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 Spain 36.0 29.1 36.3 34.4 37.1 33.5 36.9 40.5 France 1.9 2.3 2.1 2.8 2.6 2.4 2.6 2.6 UK 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.4 Greece 7.5 7.4 6.5 8.8 7.7 4.9 7.3 7.1 Italy 52.4 34.8 43.6 52.6 48.8 44.5 49.2 51.6 Malta 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 Netherlands 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.9 0.6 Portugal 5.7 6.4 7.3 7.7 7.6 5.3 7.8 10.5 Slovenia 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 Grand Total 108.6 84.0 100.1 111.0 108.2 95.0 109.0 117.3 * prior to 1999 EU-15, afterwards EU-27, source: EUROSTAT, countries missing in this table do not import octopus

39

2006 34.2 21.0 8.9 7.9 4.8 4.7 4.6 3.9 3.8 24.0 117.8

4.4. Greece Table 33: Greek octopus catches – in tonnes Common octopus Octopuses, etc. nei Octopuses, etc. nei TOTAL

Mediterranean and Black Sea Atlantic, Eastern Central Mediterranean and Black Sea

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2005

.

.

.

.

1,356

2,193

2,496

.

.

688

42

379

56

238

.

0

.

0

763 1,069 1,451 1,111

430 2,165

878 3,127

923 3,657

Greek octopus catches expanded strongly between 1970 and 1995, to peak at 4 500 tonnes in the latter year. At present octopus catches by the Greek fleet are lower at 3 700 tonnes. The country imports about 7 500 tonnes of octopus per year. Morocco is, with some ups and downs in line with the country’s production, the main supplying country to the Greek market, accounting for 30% of total imports.

Table 34: Greek octopus imports by country of origin – in tonnes 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Morocco 2646.2 2618.5 3443.6 1273.8 622.2 Spain 545.7 1104.5 1317.8 1090.9 1182.6 Mauritania 346.5 465.1 386.1 795.1 223.2 Italy 1591.1 1034.9 990.5 383.0 318.5 Others 2266.6 1232.0 2703.1 4357.6 2639.3 Grand Total 7396.1 6455 8841.1 7900.4 4985.8 Source: Eurostat

2005 1628.0 1512.7 496.4 404.4 3322.5

2006 2191.6 1537.3 607.2 574.8 2194.4

7364.0

7105.3

The value of Greek octopus imports exceeds US$ 45 million. The unit value of Greek octopus imports thus is higher than US$ 6.00/kg, making this country an attractive market for exporters. Greece also exports a small quantity of octopus, some 1 000 tonnes, worth US$ 5 million.

Most of the octopus consumption in Greece is in restaurants, and a good part of the consumption is by tourists, coming to Greece for their summer holidays.

Octopus grilled over an open flame is a Greek classic, and a favourite dish to serve with ouzo and wine. The tentacles of the octopus are first boiled for 10 minutes to tender them and then grilled over coals for 45–60 minutes. This dish costs about euro 7 per plate in the restaurants. Marinated octopus is also an important recipe in the Greek cuisine, mainly used as appetizer, sometimes served with salads. Octopus stewed with tomato and onions is a main course dish in the Greek tradition.

40

Figure 21 Unit value of Greek octopus imports 7 6

US$/kg

5 4 3 2 1

Table 35: Greek octopus consumption in live weight equivalent – in tonnes 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Production 3,823 3,767 2,455 3,691 3,127 2,871 3,092 Imports 6641 7114 10132 9836 9722 14444 12205 Exports 486 683 356 646 558 512 1240 Supply 9978 10198 12230 12881 12291 16804 14057 per caput (kg) 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.5 1.3 Source: author’s calculations

2003 3,876 11190 856 14210

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

1996

1995

1994

1993

1992

1991

1990

1989

1988

1987

1986

1985

1984

1983

0

2004 2005 3,845 3,657 7525 11024 1610 1462 9759 13219

1.3

0.9

1.2

Greece is an important octopus consuming country with apparent per caput consumption fluctuating between 0.9-1.3 kg per year. However, as already said before, a huge chunk of the consumption is in reality done by tourists, thus the above figures just give an indication on the magnitude of consumption. Nevertheless, these figures show that Greece is close to Japan with regard to the importance of octopus in the diet.

4.5. Italy Table 36: Italian octopus catches – in tonnes 1950 Common Atlantic, Eastern octopus Central .

Common Mediterranean and octopus Black Sea 3600 Horned and musky Mediterranean and octopuses Black Sea .

Others 0 Total 3600

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2005

.

.

536

998

1373

1534

6400

8122

8868

10163

7800

3897

.

0 6400

3080 0 11202

2070 606 12080

2972 947 15080

1621 0 10794

7444 0 12875

41

Italy is a traditional octopus consuming and producing country. Octopus is caught in the Mediterranean since many millennia and was a stable food item in the Latin cuisine. Total catches of octopus by Italian fleet are more or less stable between 10 000 and 15 000 tonnes. However, there has been a recent shift from common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) to horned octopus (Eledone cirrosa), which indicates less availability of the higher priced common octopus species in the Mediterranean.

Table 37: Italian octopus imports by country of origin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in tonnes 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Morocco 3815.3 4297.7 7187.2 9217.0 11265.8 Spain 6502.8 4314.3 8872.8 7031.9 8998.2 Viet Nam 1153.2 1745.4 1496.9 1323.7 2293.6 Senegal 1187.0 3609.4 22027.9 7029.2 2639.7 Thailand 2670.3 3469.8 3644.3 3136.5 3476.7 Mauritania 2544.1 1144.5 3217.9 2687.1 7084.6 Mexico 4185.7 1257.6 616.6 985.6 1704.0 Total 32227.4 29640.5 54808.5 36603.5 45788.9 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Morocco 9535.0 8408.5 5002.3 9059.3 11677.5 Spain 8799.3 9844.0 7406.1 10259.2 10417.2 Viet Nam 2883.6 3496.9 3802.9 3759.4 5608.1 Senegal 10188.9 8299.2 5855.5 4744.2 3666.2 Thailand 3466.2 3656.9 5318.4 3275.9 3403.7 Mauritania 6037.5 4095.5 3464.0 5386.3 3374.6 Mexico 3749.9 1445.7 3457.6 3309.1 2848.6 Total 54718.8 50838.6 46576.0 52612.8 55020.5

Among European countries, Italy is the main importing country with in average 50 000 tonnes. Total value of imports is also substantial at US$ 230 million. Main exporting countries to the Italian market are Morocco and Spain, with Spain re-exporting Moroccan octopus. In recent years, Viet Nam emerged among the top suppliers to the Italian market, sending baby octopus, a well appreciated product by the Italian consumer and by the processing industry. Over 95% of the imports are frozen whole octopus, mainly block frozen or flower-presentation frozen.

Octopuses are sold in supermarkets, mainly in plastic trays of 3-4 small octopuses and in seafood salads. Only 15% of the offer in the Italian market is in fresh form, while 85% are sold in frozen or thawed form. Canned or dried octopus is practically non existent in the market.

As Italy prefers small octopus, the unit value of imports is substantially lower than the one of Greece. Nevertheless, the trend is the same one as experienced by all other importing countries with a strong increase in 2003 closing of the Moroccan octopus fisheries and stabilization at this high level since.

The preferred way of preparing octopus for home consumption is very simply cooked and prepared as salad. In order to make it into a more complete meal, many times, boiled potatoes are added to the salad.

42

Figure 22

Unit value of Italian octopus imports 5 4.5 4

US$/kg

3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

0

4

In Italy, octopus is often also consumed with tomato sauce, both as main course but also as a condiment of pasta. Octopus is an integral part of Italian cuisine, especially in the southern part of the country. Thus it does not come as a surprise that per caput consumption of octopus is quite high at 1.3 kg per year, and increasing, despite higher prices. Imports account for more than 80% of total supply, a share which is likely to increase even further in the near future.

Table 38: Italian octopus consumption in live weight equivalent â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in tonnes 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Production 11416 11109 11917 9885 10794 11697 9466 9362 8176 12875 Imports 36196 40803 38074 72273 47183 59438 71017 66217 60839 68633 Exports 1616 2099 2218 2354 4185 3135 2992 2024 2132 2086 Supply 45996 49813 47773 79804 53792 68000 77491 73555 66883 79421 per caput (kg) 0.8 0.9 0.8 1.4 0.9 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.4

4

The photo is courtesy of http://fiordizucca.blogspot.com/2005/11/linguine-al-sugo-di-polpo.html

43

4.6. Spain As said before, Spain is an important octopus fishing nation. However, in recent years, the country has become more and more relying on imports for its consumption. The expiry of the EU-Morocco fishing agreement in early 2000 led to a reduction of Spanish octopus catches and the need to import, mainly from Morocco. Some of these imports, however, are just landings in Las Palmas, for re-exports to Asia. As a result, total octopus imports reached 41 900 tonnes in 2006, which compares to about 25 000 tonnes in years when the Spanish fleet could still fish freely in the Eastern Central Atlantic.

Table 39: Spanish octopus imports by country of origin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in tonnes Morocco Mauritania Portugal China Mexico Viet Nam Chile Others Total

1997 5898.6 1910.3 1720.3 1240.6 5330.5 267.2 909.6 6063.4 23340.5

1998 9403.5 2604.1 954.8 2214.0 1597.7 669.9 1179.2 7178.4 25801.6

1999 14207.8 3156.8 866.4 2057.1 1653.4 1292.6 1348.6 12869.8 37452.5

2000 18314.7 2654.5 842.6 1224.4 1585.7 1152.8 109.9 4766.4 30651.0

2001 22891.6 2731.9 1241.7 2643.6 1981.9 1192.4 351.9 4674.6 37709.6

Morocco Mauritania Portugal China Mexico Viet Nam Chile Others Total

2002 19075.5 2537.8 3062.6 2478.6 2056.7 1096.2 396.8 6130.5 36834.7

2003 18063.4 3260.2 3417.3 2896.4 354.4 1874.3 1211.1 8758.4 39835.5

2004 14366.9 2808.7 3170.0 1934.4 1823.3 1784.9 1520.3 8670.2 36078.7

2005 18300.9 2774.4 4271.9 1261.7 1922.5 1893.5 1548 7497.9 39470.8

2006 19778.9 4899.9 3198.1 2798.6 1869.0 1829.0 1710.9 5823.2 41907.6

Mauritania accounts for Morocco is the main partner for octopus supply to the Spanish market, shipping about 20 000 tonnes per year. Only in 2004, when catches were practically stopped, exports from this country had dropped to 14 300 tonnes. Mauritania is a distant second, but exports have expanded in recent years. Interesting to note is the performance of China, which after some problems experienced with seafood exports to the EU in general in 2004 and 2005, has returned to past levels.

The unit value of octopus trade in Spain shows an overall increasing trend, with some declines in recent years, mainly due to the high value of the Euro. In general, the unit value of Spanish exports exceeds the one of imports, not surprisingly, as a good part of the imports are re-exported, at a gain for the intermediaries. This differential is about 10%. In recent years, the unit value of imports reached US$ 5.30/kg, about 15% below the Japanese average price, taking advantage of the proximity of Spain to the main octopus producing area.

44

Figure 23

Trade unit value - Spain 7.00 6.00

US$/kg

5.00

Export unit value Import unit value

4.00 3.00 2.00 1.00

1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

0.00

Table 40: Spanish octopus consumption in live weight equivalent â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in tonnes 1996 1997 1998 1999 Production 38400 33735 50169 31789 Imports 36265 33723 36406 42111 Exports 23286 29637 32761 48013 Supply 25421 29649 46523 37691 Per caput (in kg) 0.64 0.75 1.17 0.95 2001 Production 24477 Imports 33437 Exports 48304 Supply 39344 Per caput (in kg) 0.97

2002 17564 31838 46004 31730 0.77

2003 17143 34256 49577 32464 0.77

2004 18752 33658 45060 30154 0.70

2000 25682 35974 38995 28703 0.71 2005 21792 38619 49950 33123 0.76

The total supply to the Spanish market declined after the stop of the Spanish fleet in the Eastern Central Atlantic. As a result, the supply declined from 40 000 tonnes in average to 33 000 tonnes at present and the per caput consumption dropped thus sharply from 1 kg to 0.75 kg per year. Thus Spain is less important as a consumer of octopus than Portugal, Greece and Italy.

Spain is rich in octopus recipes. Pulpo a feira (see chapter 5) is the most popular one, especially in the North western region of Galicia. Without doubts, in this region, home of the Spanish cephalopod fleet, octopus consumption is higher than in the rest of the country and exceeds 1 kg per person per year. In the southern part of Spain, octopus is sun-dried and then fried. Spain is the only country in the world,

45

where octopus is canned. Some 3 200 tonnes are consumed in canned form, mainly in households, resulting in a per caput consumption of 0.08 kg.

The cofradía de Bueu presented its logo for octopus fisheries in the Salón de las Denominaciones de Origen y Delicatessen in Vigo (15-17 October 2007). The cofradía of Bueu is most important and numerous associations in octopus capture fisheries in Spain. The participation of the quality label is voluntary for the members of the cofradía. The cofradía hopes that most of the boats in the association will join this initiative, whenever their capture presents the minimum conditions to receive this quality label. This is a very important move, to distinguish the national product from imported production, in addition to guaranteeing an excellent quality to the consumer.

Figure 24

Octopus - in Spain, origin: Morocco Whole - frozen

T2 T6

Euro kg

11.00 9.00

€ 6 .4 0

7.00 5.00 € 4 .9 0

Oct-07

Jul-07

Apr-07

Jan-07

Oct-06

Jul-06

Apr-06

Jan-06

Oct-05

Jul-05

Apr-05

Jan-05

3.00

Source: GLOBEFISH European Fish Price Report, various editions.

4.7. Portugal Table 41: Portuguese octopus catches – in tonnes 1950 1960 Common Atlantic, octopus Northeast Horned Atlantic, octopus Northeast Octopuses, Atlantic, etc. nei Northeast 500 600 Others 0 0 TOTAL 500 600

1970

1980

1990

2000

2005

-

-

-

624

3,487

-

-

-

35

319

1,800 0 1,800

5,356 2 5,358

7,028 2 7,030

9,037 148 9,844

7,678 190 11,674

Portugal is not an important octopus catching country, however, catches have expanded steadily over the years, to reach 11 700 tonnes in 2005. A good part of the Portuguese octopus fishing comes from the artisanal fisheries.

46

Table 42: Portuguese octopus imports by country of origin – in tonnes 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Spain 1442 2429 3930 4983 5366 5720 Morocco 10 0 10 21 0 0 Tanzania 526 387 370 145 36 167 Indonesia 0 0 0 0 81 148 Philippines 1460 1890 1248 1241 2262 1811 Others 440 435 613 578 209 205 Total 3878 5142 6171 6968 7953 8050

2003 5850 18 251 74 1379 308 7879

2004 4311 0 301 151 651 224 5636

2005 6661 0 522 337 387 355 8262

2006 8890 489 401 325 313 485 10903

Portugal is an important market for octopus imports, with almost 11 000 tonnes in 2006. Eighty percent of these imports originate from Spain, and only very limited quantities from extra-EU countries. Portuguese exports are very limited at about 3 000 tonnes.

Portugal is one of the main seafood consuming countries in the world, and has the highest per capita consumption in the EU. It is the third major fish consuming country – when considering the countries with more than 1 million inhabitants. Obviously, octopus consumption is quite high. In fact, octopus consumption in Portugal is the highest in Europe and worldwide second only to the Republic of Korea.

The trend is increasing and at present the per caput consumption of octopus is 1.7 kg per year.

The Portuguese cuisine is rich of octopus recipes, such as octopus with rice, octopus with tomato sauce, octopus with potatoes and many more. Maybe there are not as many recipes as for bacalhau – the klipfish, dried-salted cod – for which there are more recipes in Portugal than days of a year, but still quite an impressive number.

Table 43: Portuguese octopus consumption in live weight equivalent – in tonnes 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Production 11785 9336 6515 9521 9844 8155 8371 10197 8869 11674 Imports 3545 3993 5919 7198 7922 9220 9150 8983 6964 10332 Exports 3458 2470 1322 2291 1260 2059 3501 3398 3313 4068 Supply 11871 10859 11112 14429 16507 15316 14020 15783 12519 17938 Per caput (in kg) 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.4 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.2 1.7

4.8. Other EU countries Octopus consumption and trade in other EU countries are very limited. For a population of over 360 million inhabitants, a supply of about 10 000 tonnes gives an indication on the inexistence of octopus consumption in non-Mediterranean countries. Spain is the main exporter of octopus to this group of EU members, with Germany as the main importing country. The octopus is mainly going to ethnic restaurants and to emigrants from Mediterranean countries, who still form a visible part of the population in Germany.

Table 44: EU (27) – (Greece, Portugal, Italy, Spain) octopus imports by country of origin – in tonnes 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Morocco 775 302 77 60 38 48 49 Spain 1921 2489 2445 2115 2443 2580 2693 Mauritania 14.8 38.7 26.5 19.6 6.6 1.2 0 Viet Nam 50 147.2 234.9 511.4 342 366.9 431.7 Mexico 2 49.2 78.1 185.3 67.2 564.5 49 Others 4664 4597 5710 5423 5312 5894 6064 Total 7427 7623 8571 8315 8209 9455 9286

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4.9. United States of America Octopus is not a well known species in the US market, and consumption is rather limited, just a bit in ethnic restaurants. Octopus production by US operators is limited to by catch, and total production is as low as 30 tonnes per year. On the other hand, octopus imports are expanding in recent years. In 2006, some 17 400 tonnes were imported, 26% ahead of 2005. The Philippines are the main exporting country of octopus to the US market, with Indonesia growing strongly. In the first months of 2007, Indonesia overtook the Philippines as major supplier of octopus. It is interesting to note that the main seven suppliers are all from the Asian continent. Total US octopus imports are worth US$ 53 million.

Table 45: US octopus imports by country of origin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in tonnes 2000 2001 2003 2004 2005 2006 Philippines 7815.7 8033.2 8960.1 7496.9 6147.2 6933.0 Indonesia 640.7 889.2 2001.1 3177.3 2346.2 3709.5 China 816.9 895.2 1398.0 1185.4 1287.1 1557.6 India 87.6 236.8 342.6 497.2 591.0 1172.4 Viet Nam 134.6 503.2 988.1 925.1 896.4 1032.3 Thailand 817.1 781.5 790.4 931.4 1071.7 945.3 Others 2548.7 2145.4 1777.0 1683.7 1505.0 2092.8 Grand Total 12861.1 13484.5 16257.4 15897.1 13844.6 17442.9

Figure 25

US octopus unit value 3.4 3.2

US$/kg

3 2.8 2.6 2.4 2.2 2 2000

2001

2003

2004

2005

2006

Asian exporters are sending mainly the lower valued baby octopus to the US market, thus the unit value is relatively low at US$ 3.00/kg. No major developments are foreseen for the US octopus market, and yearly consumption is expected to stay at the present low 0.07 kg/capita. Octopus is thus one of the few seafood products for which the USA is not a target market.

48

4.10. Others Octopus consumption is concentrating in the few countries described before. In some Latin American countries one can find “pulpo” on the menu in the restaurants, but this is generally squid disguised as octopus, which obviously commands a higher price. In contrast with squid, that increased its market penetration in the United States of America and Northern European countries in recent years, octopus has been unable to expand its markets beyond the traditional few.

5. OUTLOOK As for many other capture fisheries species, the outlook is not very bright for the octopus resources.

However, there are some positive signs, such as the recent recovery of octopus production in Morocco, which indicate that there is hope that with a stringent control system the resource can be protected and this delicious product can keep its place on the table of its consumers. Aquaculture is the way out for many other species. Farming is nowadays even possible for cod, another species marked by overfishing and resource destruction. However, octopus seems to be resistant to the many attempts to rear it in captivity. Octopus fattening, similar to tuna fattening, seems to be way out, and the specimens are gaining weight quickly. More of this production method is likely in future years.

Taking all the indicators together, there is no doubt that the consumption of octopus will stay confined to the handful of countries – Republic of Korea, Japan, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy – already eating it. Demand is likely to stay stable, or even go down, in view of higher prices, unavoidable in view of the scarce resource. Landings of octopus are likely to stay stable at the present 360 000 tonnes, or even decline.

6. MAIN PRODUCTS AND RECIPES 6.1. Buying and storing tips Most octopuses have been frozen and thawed. They should be free of any off odour. To store thawed octopus, unwrap, place in a bowl covered with a wet paper towel, refrigerate, and prepare it to be eaten the same day. Store frozen octopus in its original wrappings in the freezer for up to two months.

To thaw, unwrap, place octopus in a bowl or pan, cover and let thaw overnight in the refrigerator. To thaw more quickly, wrap octopus in waterproof plastic and place in a sink with cool running water, allowing about 30 minutes per pound (about 450g). For fastest thawing, use the defrost cycle of your microwave, allowing two to five minutes per pound (450 g), with equal standing time in between zaps.

6.2. Preparation, uses and tips Tentacles and body sac are the edible parts. To prepare an octopus for eating, beak, eyes and internal organs have to be removed. With a sharp knife cut off head below the eyes. The 'beak' (which is the mouth) will be in the centre of the tentacles. Push upwards with finger placed underneath, remove and discard. If octopus is big, tenderize by beating with a mallet, or hanging (tentacles down) overnight.

Some fish vendors do the work for the customer by giving octopus a good going over in a cement mixer so it is already tenderised when purchased. Cut into pieces or leave whole if tiny. Slow cooking is needed, except in the case of baby octopus.

Octopus may be used in place of other seafood in recipes for curries, soups and salads. In curries they will receive the long slow cooking they need. For soups and salads they should be cleaned, put into cold, lightly salted water and brought slowly to the boil, simmering for one hour, then left to cool to room temperature in the liquid. The tentacles and body sac are then cut into bite-sized pieces and added to soup or salad. For barbecued octopus, pre-cooking is not necessary. Purchase small

49

specimens which should be very tender, marinate in soy sauce with garlic and pepper or other flavours of choice. Cooking time should be very short, just until the flesh becomes opaque.

To prevent a minor skin rash, use rubber gloves when handling raw octopus. If the octopus hasn’t been cleaned, cut off the top of the head, scoop out and discard the interior, cut off the beak, and separate the tentacles from the head.

Octopus flesh is tough and chewy. The secret to successful octopus cookery is to marinate or precook it to tenderize the meat. In the ancient times, and still sometimes in Apulia, the octopus is beaten, in order to tenderize it. To marinate, rub octopus with grated radish, slice thin, and marinate in soy sauce for one to two hours. To precook, bring a pan of salted water to a boil. Put octopus in boiling water, turn down heat, and simmer until the skin can be peeled, about 30 to 60 minutes. Remove from heat and led stand in cooking water until cool.

Cut precooked octopus into 3 to 4-inch pieces (about 7.6 to 10 cm) and place in a greased baking pan.

Brush with melted butter or oil and season with salt and pepper, or cover with a piquant sauce. Bake in a preheated 450°F (230°C) oven 10 to 20 minutes.

6.2.1 Broiling Cut precooked octopus into 3 to 4-inch pieces (about 7.6 to 10 cm) and dredge in crumbs, or cornmeal or flour coating. Preheat broiler and adjust oven rack so octopus is 4 inches (about 10 cm) from the element. Broil, turning once, until coating is brown and crispy and octopus is warmed through.

6.2.2 Deep frying Pour oil into a wok or deep fryer; it should be at least 1 1/2 inch (about 3.8 cm) deep, and the cooker should be less than half full of oil. Heat oil to 375°F (190°C), using a thermometer to monitor temperature. Cut precooked octopus into 3 to 4-inch (about 7.6 to 10 cm) pieces. Dip pieces in batter, drain, then slip them into hot oil. Cook until brown, two to three minutes.

6.2.3 Stewing Cut precooked octopus into 3 to 4-inch pieces (about 7.6 to 10 cm) and stew in red wine, with herbs and spices for two hours. During the last 30 minutes, add vegetables.

6.3. Nutritional highlights Octopus is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. 100 grams of octopus give 0.314 grams of omega-3 fatty acids, derived from EPA (0.152 g) and DHA (0.162 g). On the other hand, octopus is low in saturated fat. Octopus contains no sugar and it is an excellent source of iron (8.1 mg), selenium (76 mcg) and Vitamin B12 (30.6 mcg). Octopus is also high in niacin, potassium and vitamin B6 content.

Calories in 100 grams of octopus are 139, protein is 25.3 g, carbohydrate 3.7 g. However, on the negative side there is high content in cholesterol and sodium.

50

6.4. Recipes and preparations 6.4.1. General Octopus salad Clean octopus, being sure to remove the keratinous pit, boil and cool. Chop (in the picture the octopus is still whole) and season with oil, lemon juice and a pitch of salt, if necessary. Complete with chopped parsley and serve with lemon sections.

Put the octopus in a pot with the wine and enough cold water to cover. Add the onions, carrots, celery, thyme, and bay leaf; bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook until opaque, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the octopus with a slotted spoon and cool. Transfer the octopus to a resealable plastic bag and add the garlic, olive oil, and lime juice; seal and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Remove the octopus from the marinade and set aside.

Combine the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, mint leaves, and green olives in the jar of a blender and puree into a smooth emulsion. Alternatively, whisk these ingredients together in a small bowl for a chunkier texture. Season to taste, with salt and pepper and set aside. Toss the endive, radicchio, and chickpeas together in a salad bowl and set aside.

Grill the octopus for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once after 2 to 3 minutes, until it is browned in spots and nicely caramelized but not burned. Remove and cut into bite-size pieces. Decorate with the greens and vinaigrette, divide among 4 plates and serve.

Octopus appetizer Place the octopus in a pot with the wine and lemon. Cover the octopus with water, and place the pot over high heat and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium, and cook until tender when pierced with a fork. You'll need to check the octopus fairly frequently. Once it is tender, cover and remove from the heat. Allow to cool to room temperature covered.

While the octopus is cooling, boil the potatoes until tender. Remove from the heat, skin and cut into 2 inch pieces. Place in a bowl and add fresh chopped parsley and olive oil to coat lightly. Season with salt and pepper. Once cool, remove the tentacles from the head and cut into 2 to 3-inch pieces. Cut the head into pieces as well. Season with salt and pepper and mix.

Arrange the pieces on individual plates, and drizzle with a little good quality olive oil, and serve with the potatoes on the side.

51

Roasted octopus

5

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. In a large ovenproof pan, mix the olive oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Heat on a stove burner on high, and once the pan is hot, add the octopus. Brown the octopus well on all sides until it has released it's juices. Add the wine corks, and cover the pan with aluminium foil, and bake in the oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the octopus is tender. Cool to room temperature.

Remove the tentacles from the head and cut into 2 to 3inch pieces. Cut the head into pieces as well. Season with salt and pepper and mix. Arrange the pieces on individual plates, and drizzle with a little good quality olive oil, sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

Octopus with rice

Octopus with onions

Octopus with tomatoes

5

Photo courtesy of Ms. Mele, Italian Food Forever; http://www.italianfoodforever.com/iff/printrecipe.asp?id=499

52

6.4.2. Italian specialities Octopus carpaccio 6 Cook the octopus in boiling water and vinegar for one hour. Then let it cool in its own water of cooking, then take it out and form it into the shape of a ball, wrap it in the transparent film and to put it into the freezer for a couple of hours. Then remove it from the film and when it is still a bit frozen, slice it very thin. Put it on a plate and to flavour it with an emulsion of oil, lemon, salt, pepper and parsley.

Some Italian fish processing companies are now offering this carpaccio prepared on an industrial scale. The Italian company Greci (www.greci.com) won the Prix dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ĂŠlite in the Seafood Exposition 2003 with this excellent product.

Baby octopus with polenta After having gutted the moscardini, they are cooked together with vegetable and some fine chopped chili, add one spoon of olive oil and some white whine. Cover it and cook for approximately 45', without adding water, serve with white polenta.

Spaghetti with octopus Rinse octopus and place into a large pot with enough cold water to cover. Add a spoon of salt and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and allow to cool. Cut out eyes and beak and slice into bite-size pieces. Heat the olive oil and a large skilled and saute the garlic for a few seconds. Add the sliced octopus, tomatoes, wine, herbs and chilli pepper. Stir and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt lightly and add spaghetti. Cook according until al dente. Drain and add to octopus sauce. Combine well and serve immediately.

6

http://www.greci.com/specifica_gastronomia.asp?ID=248&macro=13

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6.4.3. Japanese specialities7 Octopus balls (Takoyaki)

Takoyaki literally means fried or baked octopus. It is a popular Japanese dumpli ng made of batter, diced octopus, tempura scraps, pickled ginger, konnyaku, and green onion, topped with okonomiyaki sauce, green laver (aonori), mayonnaise, and katsuobushi. originating from Osaka. Making takoyaki requires a takoyaki pan, a special frying pan made of cast iron with hemispherical moulds. Although takoyaki can easily be made at home if the equipment is available, it is usually considered to be fast food and mostly sold on the streets. Frozen takoyaki are also sold, and there are restaurants in which customers can cook their own takoyaki at their tables. Takoyaki is especially popular in the Kansai region, but has risen in popularity in other parts of Japan. In the Kansai region, takoyaki is eaten as a side dish with a bowl of cooked rice. Elsewhere in Japan, it is eaten without rice as a snack food.

In the whole of Japan there are Takoyaki fast food restaurants, preparing the takoyaki. One Japanese company, the Hotland company, has already opened more than 350 takeout stores (called Gindaco) in Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan Province of China.

The company is planning to open outlets also in the USA soon. It will be interesting to watch, whether octopus could repeat the successful experience of hamburgers in colonizing the fast food business, this time the other way around.

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http://www.greci.com/specifica_gastronomia.asp?ID=248&macro=13

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Akashiyaki

Akashiyaki or Akashi no tamagoyaki is a small round dumpling from the city of Akashi in HyĹ?go Prefecture, Japan. Made of an egg-rich batter and octopus dipped into dashi (a thin fish broth) before eating, locals in the Akashi area refer to it simply as tamagoyaki.

Although takoyaki, another Japanese dumpling, is more popular in Japan, it is said to have been based on akashiyaki. Both are made with a takoyaki pan, a type of frying pan or cooktop with many hemispherical molds. Compared to takoyaki, akashiyaki has a softer, more eggy texture.

Raw baby octopus eggs This is a sashimi dish incorporating different kinds of spring fish. The 'lead role' in this dish is played by the centrally arranged iidako (a kind of baby octopus), although, in fact, there is a hidden lead role played by the raw eggs of the iidako, which are served in a kozuke (small bowl) placed on the plate with the rest of the food. The general principle of the dish is that a sudachi (a Japanese citrus fruit) is squeezed over the raw eggs, they are sprinkled with soy sauce, and the iidako sashimi is dipped in this and eaten. However, even for a food connoisseur, raw octopus eggs may be a dish unfamiliar not only in experience, but also in concept.

First the ink sac is removed from the octopus, and then, from further in the abdomen, the bulging egg sac. The body and tentacles are lightly rubbed in salt, then blanched by very gently parboiling, and rinsing in cold water. The eggs are squeezed from the sac and placed in the kozuke. Apart from anything else, most customers have never seen raw octopus eggs. This alone is enough to give them quite a surprise, but these eggs, like translucent rice grains, are soft and sticky and have the characteristic umami taste of fish roe. The eggs alone have enough flavour to be more than satisfactory as a dish for sake. The iidako octopus spawns two times a year, in spring and autumn. Raw iidako eggs are in season only at these times, and as part of a sashimi dish are a Nagahori speciality.

The dish is arranged as follows: starting at the centre front, moving clockwise, hari ika (golden cuttlefish) from Senshu, Osaka; sayori (halfbeak), from Amakusa, Kumamoto prefecture; hirame (flatfish) from Akashi, Hyogo prefecture; shima-aji (horse mackerel) from Kada, Wakayama prefecture, and tai (sea bream), also from Kada. This is garnished with komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach) flowers, Mishima udo, and parboiled wakagobo, all lending a fragrance of spring

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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Tamagoyaki.jpg

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Octopus salad – Japanese style • • • • •

1/2 pound boiled octopus 1 cucumber 1 yellow bell pepper 1 1/2 spoon of rice wine vinegar 1 1/2 spoon of olive oil

Cut boiled octopus into bite-sized pieces. Cut cucumber and bell pepper into thin strips. Soak octopus, cucumber and bell pepper in ice water.

Drain the ingredients and serve in a bowl. Mix rice wine vinegar and oil in a small bowl and pour over the salad.

Tako poke 9

To clean fresh octopus, turn head inside out and remove ink sac, innards and mouthparts; rinse. To tenderize fresh octopus, freeze, pound or lomi (massage).

To cook octopus, in a medium pot, bring enough water to cover octopus to a boil. Lower octopus into boiling water, return water to a rolling boil, then cook 2 or 3 minutes. Drain, plunge into cold water and slice into thin slices. In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Makes 8 servings, each 1/2 cup.

Octopus pot Hippari-dako meshi (Nishi Akashi) -- Steamed octopus (tako) in a container shaped like an octopus pot (used for catching octopus). Hippari means "popular." The boiled octopus comes with potatoes and carrots.

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by courtesy of Enomoto, Catherine, 1997, The Choy of Cooking -- Sam Choy's Island Cuisine, reproduced in http://starbulletin.com/97/08/06/features/request.html

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Octopus sushi

Cooked sliced octopus on bed of pressed sushi rice.

6.4.4. Spanish specialities Pulpo a Feira

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The octopus has to be rather large (1-1.5 kg/pc) and frozen. It is cleaned and boiled, but not too long, otherwise it becomes tough. The advice goes to emerge the octopus three times very briefly into the boiling water before cooking it for about 25-35 minutes, depending on the size. The octopus is than sliced into pieces of about 1 cm, and prepared with olive oil, chilly and salt grains. It is generally served on a wooden plate. Some also add boiled potatoes.

Boiled octopus, readily for consumption, is offered

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Photos Roland Wiefels, INFOPESCA

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in vacuum packs, for the Spanish market. This octopus already is cooked and divided and it is sold in plastic packs of 250 g, in modified atmosphere packaging, which allows to extend the shelf-life time.

It is sufficient to warm it up in the microwave oven, then after adding salt, olive oil and chilli, the pulpo a la feira is ready. The price of the pack is 5.90 euros.

Canned octopus in vegetable oil Available in different formats and preparations.

Manufactured in Galicia Ingredients: octopus (d. gigas), vegetable oil, salt.

This Mediterranean speciality is prepared in an artisanal way in the southern part of France.

Canned octopus salad (in glass jar)

6.4.5. Korean octopus dishes The Korean passion for octopus runs so deep that there is a whole street of restaurants specializing in dishes prepared with it in the Mu Gyo Dong nightlife area of Seoul. Local Korean-octopus aficionados can find their preferred dish at new speciality restaurants springing up in and around Koreatown.

"Baby" octopus is prepared in dozens of ways: crispy, savoury minced octopus pancake appetizers, grand paella-like dishes cooked at the table, bouillabaisse-style soups crammed with assorted seafood as well as grilled, with noodles and in other preparations.

The menus focus on the two small species of cephalopods, nakzi (pronounced NAK gee) and its more diminutive shorter-legged relative chukumi (choo koo mee). Both nakzi and chukumi, far more tender than their larger relatives, have a delicate taste that accommodates almost any flavouring but is an exceptional foil for spicy seasonings.

Octopus hot pot rice is served in an intensely hot stone casserole. This sautĂŠ of octopus and vegetables over rice is sauced with kojujang, a chile sauce made with sweet rice powder that caramelizes so that a crunchy, spicy slightly sweet crust forms at the bottom of the dish. Everyone loves to pull out these crispy rice chunks and eat them like popcorn.

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Another cooked-at-the-table extravaganza, boiled octopus soup, is like a spicy bouillabaisse with blue crab, shrimp, clams, vegetables, udon noodles and, of course, octopus, in a blazingly spicy broth. Also included are thumbnail-size, prehistoric-looking sea squirts, possibly just to add flavour; they're too leathery to actually eat.

Grilled octopus may be ordered for one person, but its chilli sauce is not for all clients. On the other hand, baby octopus soup contains no pepper at all. In its clear, light broth is a whole small octopus along with dumpling-like sujaebi, small, hand torn swatches of noodle dough that become slightly chewy as they cook. A spicier version of the soup incorporates kimchi. Another curiosity of the Korean octopus cuisine is live octopus consumption, where the tentacles are chuck, but still moving on the plate.

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7. MAIN PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS product: octopus scientific name : Octopus vulgaris presentation: whole round gutted packing: block, IQF frozen system : IQF, air blast origin: Spain, Morocco, Mauritania or China

product: cooked octopus scientific name : octopus vulgaris presentation: cooked flower packing: plate and plastic frozen system : IQF origin: Spain

Skewed octopus

Skewed octopus (tako kushi): 35g/pc, 90g/pc

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Sliced octopus

Specifications: 1) Matako for sushi: a) 9g/pc b) 8g/pc c) 7g/pc 2) Matako for salad: 4g/pc 3) Head: 9 - 11g/pc 4) Leg: 7 - 13g/pc Inner packing: 20pcs/tray Cut octopus

Specifications: 1) Matako for takoyaki: a) 4.5 - 6.0g/pc b) 6.0 - 7.0g/pc c) 7.0 - 8.5g/pc 2) Iwatako for takoyaki: a) 2.5 - 3.5g/pc b) 4.5 - 6.0g/pc c) 6.0 - 7.0g/pc d) 7.0 - 8.5g/pc e) 8.0 - 10.00g/pc 3) Matako for sashimi: 4.5 - 6.0g/pc 4) Iwatako for karaage: 7 - 13g/pc Inner packing: I.Q.F. Specifications: 5/15 PCS / KG 16 - 25g/pc 26 - 40g/pc 41 - 60g/pc Inner packing: 1kg/bag Outer packing: B.Q.F. 12kg/ctn

Octopus maya Origin: Mexico, Peru

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Presentation: whole, eviscerated, g/pc: 300 -500 500 - 800 800 - 1200 1200 - 1500 1500 - 2000 2000 - 3000 3000 -4500 4500 +

Cooked octopuses (Matako) Features: 1) Frozen live cooked whole cleaned matako octopuses 2) Premium sashimi grade 3) Wild caught 4) 4-20pcs/10kg Inner packing: I.Q.F. or I.W.P. Outer packing: 10kg/ctn

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Frozen octopus Presentation: • •

Boxes of 10 kg.

Boxes of 15 kg.

Frozen octopus Presentation: • Boxes of 25 kg with octopus in single plastic bags.

Frozen baby octopus (Eledone cirrosa) Presentation: •

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Boxes of 10 kg.

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8. BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES Alonso, Benito, http://benitoalonso.com/productos.php

Anonimo, Kateigaho International Edition Issues, Seasonal Sushi Specialties, 2003, inaugural issue, http://int.kateigaho.com/apr03/sushi-seasonal.html

Burum, Linda, From the deep, an unexpected delight, Special to The Times, November 2005. http://www.calendarlive.com/dining/cl-fo-counter30nov30,0,6507518.story

Enomoto, Catherine, 1997, The Choy of Cooking -- Sam Choy's Island Cuisine, reproduced in http://starbulletin.com/97/08/06/features/request.html

FAO Species Catalogue No. 125, vol 3, now also available on CD: FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125, vols 1 to 18.

Fiordizucca, Linguine al sugo di Polpo, http://fiordizucca.blogspot.com/2005/11/linguine-al-sugo-di-polpo.html

Gaifyllia, Nancy, Greek Food, 24 September 2007, http://greekfood.about.com/od/fishappetizersmezethes/r/htapodixydato.htm

Greci Specialità, 5 December 2007; http://www.greci.com/specifica_gastronomia.asp?ID=248&macro=13

Italian food forever; 3 December 2007; http://www.italianfoodforever.com/iff/printrecipe.asp?id=499

Loru, Patrizia, Pulpo de Cultivo:¿Cuándo lo tendremos?, February 2005, http://www.panoramaacuicola.com/ediciones/PAM%2010-2/36-39.pdf

Royal Corbela, 10 October 2007, Product catalogue, http://www.corbela.es/esp/03_catalogo_01.asp?cat=2

Twenga, France, http://www.twenga.fr/dir-Gastronomie,Produit-de-la-mer,Poulpe

Tabuchi, Hiroko, Japanese Look to Export Octopus Dumplings, 25 Jun 2006, Newsvine, http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2006/06/25/267974-japanese-look-to-export-octopus-dumplings http://news.3yen.com/2007-05-05/japanese-octopus-dumpling-soda/

Vaz-Pires, Paulo, et. alt., Aquaculture potential of the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797): a review, Aquaculture, Volume 238, Issues 1-4, 1 September 2004, Pages 221-238. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6T4D-4CRY6SN2/2/f16cbea46fd112c693ed5bacec5d88d0)

Wikipedia, 5 December 2007,http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Tamagoyaki.jpg

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