Holiday harvests threaten octopus populations along Garden Route coast

Holiday harvests are putting growing pressure on common octopus populations along the Garden Route, with long-term surveys showing sharp declines at popular rock-pool sites, reports Cape {town} Etc.

Picture: Kevin Bryant / Flickr

Mark Dixon of the Strandloper Project says current regulations allow two octopus per person under a recreational permit. ‘What the current quota system does not take into account is the number of people who are harvesting octopus,’ he says (GeorgeHerald).

Strandloper Project survey data show counts at Gericke’s Point falling from 20 to 30 octopus in late November 2019 to five to10 in January 2020 during three-hour surveys and similar octopus population reductions in 2024 counts.

Conservation authorities advise fishers to err on the side of restraint. ‘If you have caught and kept a decent fish ask yourself if you really need to keep another, do not aim for the maximum daily bag limit,’ the SANParks fishing guide states.

National and industry action on octopus fisheries has proceeded alongside local concern, with recent regulatory updates and precautionary measures aimed at sustainable harvests.

Local residents and holiday visitors can help by only taking what they will eat and by reporting declines to citizen science projects such as the Strandloper Project. ‘Only catch and harvest enough for what you can consume,’ Dixon adds.