Overfishing of Mauritania’s octopus threatens a big industry – and a smart species

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Nathalie Bertrams
In the Spanish factory Frigoríficos Arcos, in O Carballiño, Galicia, Mauritanian octopus is prepared for cooking. The octopus gets washed first, and then tenderized.
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Up to 7,500 boats go out every day from Nouadhibou, Mauritania’s second-largest city, in search of octopus. Fifty thousand fishers depend on the West African nation’s octopus trade, an industry worth $313 million annually. 

The Japanese – and the Spanish – love the delicacy. People in Osaka adore takoyaki, battered balls with octopus inside. Small bars in Tokyo, izakayas, serve up octopus deep-fried or as sashimi. In the Galicia region of Spain, a boiled tentacle spiced with hot paprika – pulpo á feira – is deeply ingrained in the culture. 

Why We Wrote This

The common octopus is considered the most intelligent invertebrate. But the fishing industry threatens to decimate its ranks in Mauritania.

But trouble looms in the deep.

Beyah Meissa, of the Mauritanian Institute for Oceanographic Research and Fisheries, says the fishing industry has “overexploited” the octopus stock, despite a national quota system in place since 2016. “There has been an increase in the number of boats fishing for octopus here because the price is also going up,” Dr. Meissa says. He adds that fishers have been “catching much more than they should.”

Expand the story to see the full photo essay.

In Mauritania’s second-largest city, Nouadhibou, 65-foot pirogues painted baby blue fill the harbor. The boats, outfitted with outboard motors and numbering up to 7,500 on any given day, are all aiming for the same catch: the common octopus. 

Fifty thousand fishers depend on the West African nation’s octopus trade. In the first quarter of 2023, Mauritanian octopus represented nearly 40% of Japan’s total importation of the delicacy (more than 10,000 tons). In Nouadhibou, residents don’t use the French, Spanish, or Arabic word for octopus. They use tako, the Japanese one. The highest standard for octopus is “Japan quality,” according to fishers and exporters.

The Japanese – and the Spanish – love octopus. People in Osaka adore takoyaki, battered balls with octopus inside. Small bars in Tokyo, izakayas, serve up octopus deep-fried or as sashimi. In the Galicia region of Spain, a boiled tentacle spiced with hot paprika – pulpo á feira – is deeply ingrained in the culture. 

But trouble looms. Beyah Meissa, of the Mauritanian Institute for Oceanographic Research and Fisheries, says the fishing industry has “overexploited” the octopus stock, despite a national quota system in place since 2016. “There has been an increase in the number of boats fishing for octopus here because the price is also going up,” Dr. Meissa says. He adds that fishers have been “catching much more than they should.”

Overfishing threatens more than Mauritania’s $313 million octopus industry. The common octopus is considered the most intelligent invertebrate. It has 500 million neurons, most of them in its arms. It can solve puzzles, use tools, and even dream, according to researchers.

Nathalie Bertrams
Nouadhibou, Mauritania’s second-largest city, has up to 7,500 boats looking for the common octopus on any given day.
Nathalie Bertrams
Atigh Boucavar (front), a fisher in Nouadhibou, has plied his trade since 1996. He uses an octopus trap that the Chinese introduced.
Nathalie Bertrams
A factory worker in Nouadhibou checks a load of octopus. If fuel from a boat spills, the catch spoils.
Nathalie Bertrams
Masaaki Nakamura, a fisheries scientist photographed in Tokyo last year, came to Mauritania in the 1970s and taught people how to fish for octopus with trap pots.
Nathalie Bertrams
Octopus is for sale in a supermarket in Tokyo. Much of Mauritania’s octopus is exported to Japan.
Nathalie Bertrams
Crowds come out in Osaka, Japan, to a market where octopus, called tako in Japanese, is sold.

Nathalie Bertrams
Food stalls, many of them selling takoyaki – small battered balls filled with octopus – are popular in Osaka.

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