Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) paralarvae. (Photo: IIM)

CSIC and Armadora Pereira achieve progress in octopus paralarvae breeding in captivity

SPAIN
Wednesday, December 19, 2018, 02:20 (GMT + 9)

The research and development contract between the Superior Council of Scientific Research (CSIC) and Armadora Pereira (Aquopus Project) in order to make octopus paralarvae (Octopus vulgaris) breeding in captivity viable is beginning to offer results.

Octopus vulgaris

Studies have shown that it is possible to feed octopus larvae without crustacean larvae by administering enrichment to brine shrimp.

"For more than two decades, our group has advanced in the knowledge of the first phases of octopus development in nature. We have for the first time obtained planktonic larvae in sufficient quantities to make correlation studies between octopus larvae and climatic conditions, approaching their ecology from a multidisciplinary perspective", explains Ángel F. González, a scientific researcher and head of the aforementioned research group.

According to the researcher, one of the highlights was the insight into the octopus diet in nature.

In the framework of these investigations, in 2017 the collaboration agreement between the Marine Research Institute (IIM-CSIC) and Armadora Pereira arose, to transfer what was researched in the wild to octopus farming conditions in order to develop feeding and nutritional supplements based on their natural diet and improve their survival in captivity.

"This project, which proposes hypotheses based on the ecology of octopus larvae in the wild, has shown that it is possible to feed octopus larvae without crustaceans larvae, administering enrichers to brine shrimp that simulate the nutritional composition of natural prey", the members of the research group highlight.

"These variations in the diet, as well as in the physical, chemical and biological environment in which the larvae develop, are giving good results with survivals that exceed those obtained with crustacean larvae at day 60 and with growth rates that are higher than what is published with artemia", they add.

The collaboration between Armadora Pereira and the Ecobiomar group of the IIM is planning to be extended to undertake a second phase in order to obtain juveniles that are sustainable and economically profitable to be able to raise "ecological" octopuses that will relieve the fishing pressure on the resource.

In parallel with the studies on captive octopus farming, Ecobiomar group continues with the research on octopus in the marine environment. Currently, it does so through Caleco project, funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

"The life cycle of the octopus still hides many secrets, especially in relation to its planktonic life stage. The species has a complex life cycle, which includes a stage of larval dispersion in the plankton (planktonic stage) that lasts about two months, followed by a stage of settlement in the bottom where they develop into adults (benthic stage), completing the cycle in less than two years", says Ángel F. González.

It was revealed that the octopus paralarvae are the only example of coastal cephalopods that develop their planktonic stage in the ocean, unlike squids, which complete this stage on the continental shelf (maximum depth 200 metres).

Pereira Group currently offers octopus from FAO 34 Atlantic Southeast area (Senegal)

It has also been possible to clarify how these paralarvae are capable of traveling more than 200 kilometres offshore being exemplary of only 3 millimetres. To answer this question, CSIC scientists monitored and sampled cold water masses that are transported by the wind during the summer, known as coastal outcrop, in the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula and in Morocco.

"It was observed that the octopus larvae benefit from these 'highways' of cold surface water that flows into the open sea - the filaments - to move from the coast without consuming energy. On the contrary, the other ten coastal species 'escape' from said highways by changing their vertical position in the water column and thus avoid being transported to the open sea," explains Álvaro Roura.


Related article:

- IEO manages to breed octopus in captivity and Pescanova will market it

editorial@seafood.media
www.seafood.media

Print