Latest news with #cephalopods
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Octopus boom in UK waters
Despite being called the common octopus, it's actually not very common to see these eight-legged creatures in UK fishers on the south west coast of England have noticed an increase in both the numbers and size of the cephalopods over the past few has meant there are fewer lobsters, crabs and shellfish for the fishers to catch and sell, because the octopuses feed on think it could be due to rising sea temperatures or that there aren't as many predators in the water, but say more research is needed. Why is this a problem? Fishers in the UK catch lobsters, crabs and shellfish using pots which they then pull up from the sea floor. But these pots have small openings which the octopuses can squeeze themselves into to feast on the animals inside for themselves. It means there are fewer crabs, lobsters and shellfish for the fishers to sell, but they can still get a decent price for the octopuses they catch. The main concern comes from scientists who are trying to figure out why this is happening and if there are any other consequences. What do the experts say? Carli Cocciardi, from the Devon Wildlife Trust, said: "We typically see two species in the UK, the common octopus and the curled octopus."The south-west of England is really the northern edge of the common octopus's range, so sightings here are significant."These are the species most likely to be involved in the recent increase.""This isn't the first time we've seen a spike. Similar increases were recorded in 1899, 1948, and again in 2022."The most likely cause is rising sea temperatures, which make our waters more suitable for species like the common octopus."Other factors could include changes in ocean currents or increased prey availability. "It's interesting that the gaps between these events are shortening, perhaps it's no longer a rare cycle but a sign of more permanent change."
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Aquariums banned from allowing children to pet crabs and squid
Aquariums are to be banned from allowing children to pet crabs and squid. An overhaul of zoo and aquarium standards was announced on Saturday, with the aim of improving animal welfare. One major change is the prohibiting of vertebrates, cephalopods such as squid and octopus, and crabs from being kept in touch pools where they can be handled by visitors. Touch pools are built to mimic the natural rock pools found at the seaside and are home to a range of animal life. In nature these habitats are often filled with starfish, whelks, limpets and crabs and in aquariums. Those such as the one at the Sea Life London Aquarium are used to teach visitors, often children, about marine life. But rock pools in aquariums and zoos will no longer be able to host crabs or squid as a result of the new Government rules. The changes come after recent research has found that handling can be distressing to the animals, which are more intelligent than previously thought. The move has been applauded by animal-rights activists and there will be a two-year adjustment period before the changes need to be made. Elisa Allen, Peta's vice-president of programmes, told The Telegraph: 'Animals are not curiosities to be prodded, and prohibiting touch pools for decapod crustaceans and cephalopods – now recognised in UK law as sentient beings capable of feeling pain, stress, and distress – is both necessary and long overdue. 'These settings offer no escape from the relentless onslaught of human hands and fall far short of meeting the animals' complex physical and behavioural needs. 'Cephalopods, in particular, require ample space to explore, environmental enrichment, and the ability to hide – none of which are provided in the cramped, barren confines of a typical touch tank. It's past time we move away from treating other animals as mere playthings.' A Sea Life spokesperson said: 'The welfare of all creatures in our care is the number one priority at Sea Life. 'We welcome the updates to the standards for modern zoo practice, which will ensure that the UK continues to lead the way in the safety and welfare of animals in zoo-licensed premises. 'This is at the forefront of what we do at Sea Life. Whilst we await the full details, we have already begun preparing for the changes and will review further following publication.' The new welfare rules will also force zoos to make sure elephants have large outdoor space in which to roam, with the requirement for a herd of five or fewer elephants increasing sixfold from 3,000 square metres to 20,000 square metres. All zoos that contain the most dangerous animals, such as big cats, gorillas or elephants, will also have to have guns available to ensure public safety. Dr Jo Judge, CEO of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) which represents over 130 zoos and aquariums said: 'The new standards are a significant step up in legal requirements and cement Britain's position as a global leader for zoos and aquariums.' Baroness Hayman, the animal welfare minister, said: 'We are a nation of animal lovers, and our best zoos and aquariums are truly world leaders in setting the standard for how wild animals should be kept. 'Today's long-overdue reforms lay the foundation for an even stronger, even more compassionate future for all zoos and aquariums – and the animals they protect. This is the first step as part of our commitment to deliver the most ambitious animal welfare reforms in a generation. 'We're making sure all sectors have the tools they need thrive, which is vital in our mission to deliver economic growth and make lives better for people across the country under our Plan for Change' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
24-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Aquariums banned from allowing children to pet crabs and squid
Aquariums are to be banned from allowing children to pet crabs and squid. An overhaul of zoo and aquarium standards was announced on Saturday, with the aim of improving animal welfare. One major change is the prohibiting of vertebrates, cephalopods such as squid and octopus, and crabs from being kept in touch pools where they can be handled by visitors. Touch pools are built to mimic the natural rock pools found at the seaside and are home to a range of animal life. In nature these habitats are often filled with starfish, whelks, limpets and crabs and in aquariums. Those such as the one at the Sea Life London Aquarium are used to teach visitors, often children, about marine life. But rock pools in aquariums and zoos will no longer be able to host crabs or squid as a result of the new Government rules. The changes come after recent research has found that handling can be distressing to the animals, which are more intelligent than previously thought. The move has been applauded by animal-rights activists and there will be a two-year adjustment period before the changes need to be made. 'Animals are not curiosities' Elisa Allen, Peta's vice-president of programmes, told The Telegraph: 'Animals are not curiosities to be prodded, and prohibiting touch pools for decapod crustaceans and cephalopods – now recognised in UK law as sentient beings capable of feeling pain, stress, and distress – is both necessary and long overdue. 'These settings offer no escape from the relentless onslaught of human hands and fall far short of meeting the animals' complex physical and behavioural needs. 'Cephalopods, in particular, require ample space to explore, environmental enrichment, and the ability to hide – none of which are provided in the cramped, barren confines of a typical touch tank. It's past time we move away from treating other animals as mere playthings.' A Sea Life spokesperson said: 'The welfare of all creatures in our care is the number one priority at Sea Life. 'We welcome the updates to the standards for modern zoo practice, which will ensure that the UK continues to lead the way in the safety and welfare of animals in zoo-licensed premises. 'This is at the forefront of what we do at Sea Life. Whilst we await the full details, we have already begun preparing for the changes and will review further following publication.' The new welfare rules will also force zoos to make sure elephants have large outdoor space in which to roam, with the requirement for a herd of five or fewer elephants increasing sixfold from 3,000 square metres to 20,000 square metres. Guns to ensure public safety All zoos that contain the most dangerous animals, such as big cats, gorillas or elephants, will also have to have guns available to ensure public safety. Dr Jo Judge, CEO of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) which represents over 130 zoos and aquariums said: 'The new standards are a significant step up in legal requirements and cement Britain's position as a global leader for zoos and aquariums.' Baroness Hayman, the animal welfare minister, said: 'We are a nation of animal lovers, and our best zoos and aquariums are truly world leaders in setting the standard for how wild animals should be kept. 'Today's long-overdue reforms lay the foundation for an even stronger, even more compassionate future for all zoos and aquariums – and the animals they protect. This is the first step as part of our commitment to deliver the most ambitious animal welfare reforms in a generation. 'We're making sure all sectors have the tools they need thrive, which is vital in our mission to deliver economic growth and make lives better for people across the country under our Plan for Change'
The Guardian
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Octopus! review – Phoebe Waller-Bridge's ocean documentary is a total waste of her talents
A nature documentary on an order of cephalopods is probably not quite what Amazon had in mind in 2019 when it signed television's hottest writing talent, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, up to a 'golden handcuffs' deal worth $100m over five years. But here is Octopus! and quite how or why it came about will probably remain a mystery as deep and unknowable as any eight-armed creature disappearing into the crevices of the ocean floor ahead of a curious camera. Ours is not to reason why, but to sit back and enjoy an idiosyncratic nature show, full not just of breathtaking footage of the extraordinary creature and input from experts in the field, but of animated, stop-motion recreations of parts of its life cycle, interviews with celebrity fans and plentiful comic asides and fourth-wall breakings from the narrator, Waller-Bridge herself. Describing one female great pacific octopus's last few months collecting plentiful 'sperm packets' from passing males, Waller-Bridge adds: 'Legend.' When Ms Great Pacific chooses 'Mike's' packet', Waller-Bridge explains that although he has 'zero prospects, commitment issues and lives in a rough part of the ocean … he was the tallest, after all.' She – or rather Gabriel Bisset-Smith, who wrote the narration, which must also have Amazon execs rubbing their eyes and flicking through that deal contract again – plays too on the famous Fleabag line and comments, 'This is not a love story.' How this sits with you is a matter of personal taste, though I think that for everyone it must jar with the section in which ecologists and researchers stress the difficulties of understanding creatures so different from us and warn against anthropomorphism. Such asides risk undercutting the subject and/or creating an air of smug superiority that alienates the viewer. If PWB has avoided both, I suspect it is only by the thinnest of margins. The bulk of the two-part documentary, however, is both gorgeously shot (by cinematographers including Luis Lamar, who also appears as an interviewee) and skilfully directed by Niharika Desai. It captures the bizarre elegance and unsettling everything about the boneless beings while dishing out enough facts and figures to leave you slightly better informed about them and as awed as when you began. This includes a little social history of the octopus, beginning with an early mention by Aristotle who considered them 'stupid' creatures, on through Danish bishop Pontopiddan's choice to base the kraken sea monster on them and give them an enduring association with villainry until Japanese artist Hokusai complicated things by including two of them and a fisher's wife in an 1814 erotica collection. Google this, if you must, very carefully. It wasn't until a documentary by oceanographer and film-maker (and co-inventor of the first successful scuba equipment, known as the aqualung – see, I can educate too!) Jacques Cousteau in 1972 that the idea of octopuses as intelligent creatures and fascinating in their own right began to gain currency. Forty years later, octopuses were named alongside whales, magpies and great apes in the Cambridge Declaration of Consciousness and your plate of tapas became that much more problematic overnight. Comedian and actor Tracy Morgan (best known here for playing Tracy Jordan in 30 Rock, which after Octopus! may stand revealed as a far less attenuated version of his real self than previously believed) is an octopus fan. He used to house them in aquariums at his home until he realised how fast and how large they could grow. But he is, PWB tells us, 'a walking encyclopedia' of marine facts. I'm not sure, then, why he is restricted to showing us his own collection of venomous sea creatures and joining in the overlong closing section of the show filled with guff about the interconnectedness of all things. Fortunately, there are enough non-celebrities with expertise who can give us the benefit of it without distraction. Foremost among them are marine biologist Dr Jenny Hofmeister and behavioural ecologist Piero Amodio, whose charm, marrow-deep love for their subjects and ego-free talent for sharing their knowledge with lay viewers should, in a just world, lead them to be given a show of their own. But we are where we are. It remains a strange choice for PWB – you could even go further and say it is a waste of the finite time she has to share her profuse and valuable gifts with the world. That is not to say the documentary itself is a waste of time – it's fun and enlightening and a delighted cephalopod PR department will surely be waving its many arms in the air – but you can only hope that it was done in a bit of downtime as Waller-Bridge works on her next great, as yet unspecified, thing. Octopus! is on Prime Video now.
