Conservationists ‘flabbergasted’ by document variety of octopus in UK waters | EUROtoday

Conservationists have branded 2025 the “year of the octopus” after the eight-legged creatures had been noticed in British waters within the highest numbers for the reason that Fifties.

Rising temperatures and a “warm breeding season” led to document sightings of the widespread octopus (widespread or Mediterranean octopus) in south Cornwall and Devon, based on The Wildlife Trust’s annual report.

The charity mentioned it had been left “flabbergasted” by the “incredible” numbers of octopuses – that are native to UK waters however in such small numbers they aren’t usually seen – noticed through the 12 months.

The invertebrates had been filmed “walking”, cleansing themselves, mating, and even grabbing at an underwater digital camera, it added.

Around 233,000 octopuses had been caught by native fishers in Cornwall this 12 months – round 13 occasions the standard quantity, Matt Slater, a marine conservation officer at Cornwall Wildlife Trust, advised The Guardian.

Exceptionally delicate temperatures can result in a “bloom”, or enhance within the inhabitants, because of a hotter breeding season the place larvae usually tend to survive. But a recording of this dimension has not been seen since 1950, the charity mentioned.

It added it anticipated 2026 to see even greater numbers of octopuses prowling UK seas, with the World Meteorological Organisation predicting rising world temperatures over the following 5 years.

“Octopus eggs are surviving our warming winters so we are likely to see a regular occurrence of octopus blooms in future years,” it mentioned in its annual report.

It added fisheries would wish to “adapt”, as octopuses largely feed themselves on lobsters, crabs and shellfish.

The charity reported a variety of different stunning marine discoveries over the 12 months, together with the first UK document of a pink-orange “hair curler” sea slug in Cornwall. Usually resident within the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and western Atlantic coasts, sightings of the nudibranch Spurilla Neapolitana had, till now, solely been made as far north as Brest, France.

One of the world’s rarest sharks, an angelshark, was additionally noticed in Cardigan Bay, Wales. The critically endangered shark was caught on underwater cameras for the primary time in 4 years.

Ruth Williams, head of marine at The Wildlife Trusts, mentioned the 12 months had been “bookended” by environmental disasters together with the North Sea tanker collision in March and the discharge of tonnes of bio-beads off the Sussex coast in November.

“Despite the year’s challenges, we’ve had moments of joy and wonder,” she mentioned. “Our conservationists have celebrated successes such as the first signs of puffin breeding on the Isle of Muck and transplanted seagrass growing healthily off the Essex coast.

“They’ve also been flabbergasted by the incredible numbers of octopuses recorded this year.”