Identity card
Octopus is a cephalopod mollusc (like squid or cuttlefish) dating from the Cambrian period (from the Greek word polypus, meaning several feet). It has eight tentacles (each 1m long and armed with 250 suckers) with a mouth in the middle, equipped with a beak (parrot type) to cut up prey (crustaceans, small molluscs, etc.). Its soft body in the shape of a wart-cover bag has a mantle cavity (coat) fitted with a funnel to breathe and propel itself. It also contains a pocket of black ink, which it ejects to blind predators. Furthermore, it has numerous chromatophore cells it can use to change colour and blend into the surroundings. This sedentary animal has a short cycle (one year for the female and two years for the male) and some species live at a depth of 300 m.
The world market is dominated by two genus:
The Octopus (two rows of suckers on the arms) grouping:
- Octopus vulgaris: common octopus (Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic, Pacific), the most widely sold species (grey, yellow or reddish brown), 10 to 20 cm mantle on average (1 to 3 kg) and sometimes up to 23 cm (10 kg);
- Octopus macropus: grass octopus (Atlantic, Pacific and Mediterranean Sea), reddish brown with many white spots, with a mantle of up to 14 cm (2 kg).
The Eledone (one row of suckers per arm) including:
- Eledone cirrhosa: white octopus (Mediterranean, Atlantic, Centre-East Atlantic), tender meat (yellow to brownish red with rust spots), mantle up to 16 cm long for the females (800g) and 11 cm for the males (400g);
- Eledone moschata: musky octopus (Mediterranean Sea, west side of the Iberian peninsula), grey-brown with large black spots, mantle up to 14 cm long (600-700 g).
Production and consumption
Octopus is fished by traps, trawler, seine, jig or octopus pots. The world production totalled 350 000 tons in 2008 (Asia, Africa, Mediterranean). Over-fishing at several sites (Centre-East Atlantic) had led to a decrease in stocks and quotas are now imposed (COPACE zone).
In France, the production (fish markets) has dropped (1 485 tons in 2008 compared with 1 220 tons in 2009) although household buying rose sharply in 2009 (451 tons, +23.8%) compared to 2008 (365 t). Imports totalled 3 325 tons (2008).
(Sources: FAO, FranceAgriMer, SeaFood Alliance)
At Rungis Market
“We sell fresh and frozen Octopus vulgaris (Mediterranean) which represents about 4 to 5 tons a week,”, explains Failli Raffaello, salesman for J’Océane. “The fresh octopus is fished off the Algerian coast and shipped by air. The frozen octopus is prepared in Spain.”
