Emergency by-law approved after octopus surge
BBCA vote has been passed for an emergency by-law to cut the number of larger boats fishing for octopus.
The Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) wanted emergency rules to cap the size of vessels using pots to catch octopus, to protect the crab and lobster fishery.
In a meeting at County Hall in Truro, the authority passed the by-law nine votes to five.
The by-law, which prohibits multihull vessels more than 10m (33ft) long and monohull vessels more than 12m (39ft) long from using pots to fish for octopus within the Cornwall IFCA district, should become law on 1 July for a year after application to Secretary of State.
A report warned the surge was "adversely affecting local crustacean stocks" by drawing more crabs and lobsters into the same areas.
Regulators said larger vessels were moving inshore and deploying up to 2,000 pots which risked making crustaceans easier targets for octopuses which preyed on shellfish.
Sam Davis, Cornwall IFCA's chief officer, said the by-law would help "reduce the impact" of fishing on crabs and lobsters which also live in the same environment as the octopus.
"Those vessels we are talking about are very capable, they can fish in all weathers, throughout the year and inside and outside of the six-mile limit," Davis added.
"It's reducing the impact of the pots that they are putting on the ground for octopus, on the crab and lobsters themselves.
"There is a lot more work to be done here, we need to move forwards to look at other ways of managing fishing effort that apply not just to the bigger vessels, but the smaller ones as well."
The report also said there were concerns that some fishers had used undersized crabs and lobsters as bait instead of returning them, placing "further pressure on crab and lobster stocks".
Lack of permits and reporting for octopus fishing made it harder to manage the growing pressure, it added.
Octopuses are increasingly making British waters their home, attracted by warmer sea temperatures, researchers have said, after the population of the species surged in 2025.
Fishers in Devon and Cornwall have been landing record amounts of octopus at strong prices with one day's catch earning a record £500,000 in Brixham.
