Octopuses have been around for hundreds of millions of years, but did you know that most only live for a few years, dying soon after mating or laying eggs? Until now that hasn’t been a problem, but octopus catches have doubled in recent decades as the world strives to meet the nutritional demands of a rising global population.
Octopuses have been around for hundreds of millions of years, but did you know that most only live for a few years, dying soon after mating or laying eggs? Until now that hasn’t been a problem, but octopus catches have doubled in recent decades as the world strives to meet the nutritional demands of a rising global population.
How do we ensure octopus fisheries remain sustainable, protecting the longevity of this ancient animal while guaranteeing the world doesn’t go hungry? An accurate, reliable, cost-effective and easy-to-use method to determine an octopus’s age and estimate how fast they grow and reproduce is a good starting point.
A team of Australian scientists has now developed the world’s first step-by-step practical guide to aging octopus, published in the Marine and Freshwater Research Journal.
