Artificial breeding of cuttlefish succeeds, wild cuttlefish can breathe a sigh of relief

The chewy, springy cuttlefish balls are a favorite of many people in Taiwan, China. However, the annual report of the Fisheries Agency shows that in recent years the amount of cuttlefish (cuttlefish/squid) caught along the coast of Taiwan, China has plummeted from 4,500 metric tons to 800 metric tons, a serious warning of resource depletion.

But the research team of Hsu Te-hua, assistant research fellow at the Ocean Center of National Taiwan Ocean University, after 2 years of experiments, has not only been able to artificially rear 3 species of cuttlefish commonly found in the coastal and offshore waters of Taiwan, China, but among them the tiger cuttlefish can even reach an annual production of more than 10,000 individuals. Although he says that at this stage the feed cost is still high, accounting for more than 60% of total cost, and other methods are still being tried to reduce the cost; but cuttlefish prices are higher than octopus and squid, and wild harvesting also commands a market price of more than 300 yuan per kg, so in a future of depleted fishery resources, it will be a rising star of the aquaculture industry.

3 species of cuttlefish can be artificially reared, and the tiger cuttlefish can even be mass-produced at over 10,000 individuals

In fact, cuttlefish is a common name; the more formal name is cuttlefish (squid), and at present it is mainly obtained through wild harvesting. There are 4 species of cuttlefish commonly found in the coastal waters of Taiwan, China, namely the tiger cuttlefish, the pharaoh cuttlefish, the golden cuttlefish and the Japanese spineless cuttlefish. The first two are tropical cuttlefish, with breeding seasons roughly in spring and summer, while the latter two come from China and Japan to Taiwan, China in winter to spawn and reproduce.

But according to the annual report of the Fisheries Agency, the amount of wild cuttlefish that can be caught in Taiwan, China in a year has dropped sharply by 80% from a peak of 4,500 metric tons to only 800 metric tons, which is clearly a warning of severe resource depletion. However, Hsu Te-hua, assistant research fellow at the Ocean Center of National Taiwan Ocean University, under the Blue Economic Growth Plan of the Fisheries Agency, after 1 year of research, has been able to completely artificially rear and breed 3 species of cuttlefish including the tiger, pharaoh and golden cuttlefish, and among them the tiger cuttlefish can even be mass-produced at more than 10,000 individuals per year.