A new short film, Bloomin’ Octopus!, shines a light on one of the most striking recent developments in UK fisheries: the sudden surge in octopus numbers off the South West coast. The film brings together scientists, fishermen and coastal communities to explore what is driving this phenomenon, and what it could mean for the future of the seafood sector.
The project has been supported with funding from the Fishmongers’ Company’s Fisheries Charitable Trust, which works to advance knowledge, research and education in support of a sustainable UK seafood industry.
A changing fishery
The film highlights a rare “octopus bloom” currently affecting the South West, where populations of common octopus, normally scarce in UK waters, have increased dramatically, driven by warmer seas, favourable currents and evidence of local breeding. This has created mixed impacts for fisheries: while some fishermen have adapted to target octopus as a valuable new catch, many have seen significant declines in crab, lobster and scallop fisheries due to heavy predation, with catch rates in some cases falling markedly and more than half of fishers reporting negative effects overall. At the same time, the surge points to wider ecosystem change linked to warming oceans, with scientists warning such blooms could become more frequent, making adaptation, monitoring and market development increasingly important for the sector.
© The Fishmongers’ Company 2026
