How are octopuses farmed, and what do they eat?
AbstractCage: Cage farming can be used, with a mesh smaller than the individual fish; a net cover must be added to prevent the octopus from escaping, and farming is mostly carried out in harbors with calm waves, mostly in spring to summer (June, July) and autumn (October-December). Seedlings: large cages are stocked with seedlings at 36-42 kg per cubic meter, and small cages at 25-30 kg per cubic meter. Bait: low-priced small trash fish and shellfish can be put in, and frozen small trash fish can also be put in, but they must be fresh.
When it comes to the octopus, surely there is no one who does not know it, right? The octopus is very common in our lives, and people often eat it. Previously, octopuses on the market basically came from the wild, but with the development of technology, there are now many methods of artificially farming octopuses. Let us learn about them together.
How are octopuses farmed
1. Cage setup: Cage farming can be used (3.94 m × 1.82 m × 0.9 m, with a mesh smaller than the individual fry; a net cover must be added to prevent the octopus from escaping, and farming is mostly carried out in harbors with calm waves. The suitable water temperature is 15-23°C. Generally, farming is mostly carried out in spring to summer (June, July) and autumn (October-December).
2. Seedling stocking: Octopus seedlings caught by cage are the most suitable, and those caught by bottom trawl can also be used. The stocking amount varies according to water temperature and flow conditions. Large cages are stocked with seedlings at 36-42 kg per cubic meter, and small cages at 25-30 kg per cubic meter. To prevent the seedlings from killing each other, the same batch of seedlings should be stocked, and it is best to put the seedlings into the cages after they are full.
3. Bait feeding: Low-priced small trash fish and shellfish can be put in, and frozen small trash fish can also be put in, but they must be fresh. When there is a lot of leftover bait, it is best to reduce it as appropriate or stop feeding for 1-2 days, because leftover bait will pollute the water quality. If feeding is stopped for more than 3 days, they will kill each other. At a water temperature of about 13°C, feeding behavior is irregular, and below 7°C the octopus does not feed.
4. Farming management: The cage farming method is suitable for large-scale farming. The survival rate of seedlings caught by cage after 2 months of farming is 70-80%, and the survival rate of seedlings caught by fishing is about 50%. When seedlings are stocked in cages, the mortality rate reaches 20-30% in 15 days, and then the mortality rate gradually decreases. After 15 days of farming, the octopuses are divided into three sizes, large, medium and small, and raised separately in different cages. In spring and autumn, clean the cages once every 15 days, and in winter once every 30 days.
What do octopuses eat
The octopus is a carnivorous marine mollusk. It feeds on lamellibranchs and crustaceans (shrimp, crabs, etc.), and some species eat plankton. This is not a matter of whether it likes it or not, because the stable structural myoglobin is a necessary condition for the octopus to survive in the deep sea. The giant octopus will fight the sperm whale to the death just to compete for astaxanthin resources. Astaxanthin is the strongest antioxidant and is a necessary condition for ensuring the stable structure of myoglobin so that it is not oxidized.
The difference between squid and octopus
1. Difference in family and genus
Squid: Squid is a mollusk of the animal kingdom, Mollusca, Cephalopoda, Coleoidea, Teuthida, Loliginidae, Loligo.
Octopus: Octopus is a mollusk of the animal kingdom, Mollusca, Cephalopoda, Octopodiformes, Octopoda, Incirrata, Octopodidae, Octopus.
2. Difference in arms
Squid: The squid has a slender body, in a long conical shape, with more than ten tentacles, two of which are longer. The front ends of the tentacles have suckers, and inside the suckers there are horny toothed rings. When hunting food, it uses its tentacles to entangle and swallow it. It likes to gather in groups, especially during the mating and spawning period in spring and summer.
Octopus: The octopus has a short oval body, sac-like, without fins. The boundary between the head and the body is not obvious. On the head there are large compound eyes and 8 retractable arms. Each arm has two rows of fleshy suckers. Usually it crawls with its arms, and sometimes it swims by stretching and contracting the membrane between the arms. It can grip other objects powerfully, and uses the funnel under its head to spray water for rapid retreat swimming.
3. Difference in origin
Squid: Squid is distributed in tropical and temperate seas between 40° north and south latitude. The world's main squid fishing grounds are in the northern part of the South China Sea, the Gulf of Siam, Kyushu in Japan, the central Philippines, western Western Europe, and the eastern and western seas of the United States. The fishing grounds are mostly located around islands and reefs, at places where the water is clear and the current is slow, the salinity is relatively high, the bottom material is coarse and hard, the seabed has hollows, and coastal water systems and warm current water systems meet.
Octopus: The octopus is widely distributed in tropical and temperate seas around the world. It is distributed along the coasts of both northern and southern China. It lives underwater, and the suitable water temperature cannot be lower than 7°C. A seawater specific gravity of 1.021 is the most suitable, and it will die in a low-salinity environment. The bottom material of the sea area is best as gravel.
How long do octopuses live
The average lifespan of an octopus is only about 3 years. If living conditions are very ideal and it is not caught, it can live to about 4 years old at most. The lifespan of deep-sea giant octopuses is different. Some scientists say that the lifespan of deep-sea giant octopuses can reach 100 years, and their incubation time is as long as 4 and a half years. The largest octopus found so far has tentacles about 10 m long. Biological experts say that octopuses with tentacles more than 15 m long may exist in the depths of the ocean.
That is all for the introduction to octopus farming methods. We hope it is helpful to everyone. At present, the market prospects for octopus are very broad, so if you want to join the farming industry, this is also a good project.