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Pale Octopus is distributed from the Great Australian Bight around TAS to southern NSW. Stocks are classified as depleting in Tasmania, negligible in NSW and undefined in SA and VIC.

Pale Octopus is distributed from the Great Australian Bight around Tasmania to southern New South Wales. There is evidence to suggest that Pale Octopus shows complex biological stock structure, with a number of discrete subpopulations in Bass Strait (less than 100 km apart) due to limited dispersal and isolation by distance [Doubleday et al. 2008; Higgins et al. 2013]. However, further information is required to confirm the overall stock structure across southern Australia. Here, assessments of stock status are presented at the jurisdictional level—New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

Victoria

A new, standalone commercial Octopus Fishery commenced in Victoria in August 2020. The fishery predominantly harvests Pale Octopus in Eastern Victoria using unbaited pots. Octopus fishing in central and western Victoria is less established and is managed through exploratory, temporary permits.

Pale Octopus have historically been caught by a variety of gears but was not differentiated from other species of octopus in catch and effort reporting.

Targeted octopus fishing with octopus pots took place from 1998–2003 and it is likely that some landings prior to this time were caught in pots but the gear was not accurately reported. Small amounts of octopus (less than 2 t per year ) were subsequently caught using traps up until 2015 when landings began to increase rapidly in eastern Victoria, reaching 113.5 t in 2021–22 [Bell et al. 2023].

Due to a lack of historic species specific reporting, the fact Pale Octopus represent an incidental byproduct of many fisheries and appear to have been discarded at times, and the relatively brief history of targeted fishing effort, there is considerable uncertainty about the current stock status of Victorian Pale Octopus. While targeted octopus catch rates remain stable, the fishery is expanding spatially so it is difficult to determine the extent to which this represents serial depletion and/or responsible fishing of the resource by spreading effort. In addition, the landings of other Victorian and Commonwealth fisheries are increasing as demand for the product increases. The above uncertainties make it difficult to determine whether current fishing practices could lead to recruitment impairment, though it appears unlikely that has already occurred.

On the basis of the evidence provided above, Pale Octopus in Victoria is classified as an undefined stock. 

Pale Octopus biology [Leporati et al. 2007; Leporati et al 2008a, 2008b].

Distribution of reported commercial catch of Pale Octopus.

Victoria – Commercial (Catch). Pale Octopus is not differentiated from other octopuses caught in Victorian commercial fisheries.

Victoria – Indigenous (Management Methods). A person who identifies as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander is exempt from the need to obtain a Victorian recreational fishing licence, provided they comply with all other rules that apply to recreational fishers, including rules on equipment, catch limits, size limits and restricted areas. Traditional (non-commercial) fishing activities that are carried out by members of a traditional owner group entity under an agreement pursuant to Victoria’s Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010 are also exempt from the need to hold a recreational fishing licence, subject to any conditions outlined in the agreement. Native title holders are also exempt from the need to obtain a recreational fishing licence under the provisions of the Commonwealth’s Native Title Act 1993.

Tasmania – Commercial (Catch). Catches reported for the Tasmanian Octopus Fishery are for the period 1 March to end of February the following year. The most recent assessment available is for 2021–22.

Tasmania – Commercial (Management Methods). A general possession limit of 100 kg of octopus per day (all species combined) is in place for holders of a fishing licence (personal) and a scalefish licence. This limit does not apply to Tasmanian Octopus Fishery licence holders operating in northern Tasmania.

Tasmania – Recreational (Management Methods). In Tasmania, a recreational licence is required for fishers using rock lobster pots, along with nets, such as gillnet or beach seine. A bag limit of five octopus and a possession limit of ten octopus (all species combined) is in place for recreational fishers.

Tasmania – Indigenous. In Tasmania, Indigenous persons engaged in traditional fishing activities in marine waters are exempt from holding recreational fishing licences but must comply with all other fisheries rules as if they were licensed. For details, see the policy document 'Recognition of Aboriginal Fishing Activities” (https://fishing.tas.gov.au/Documents/Policy%20for%20Aboriginal%20tags%20and%20alloting%20an%20UIC.pdf).

Commercial catch of Pale Octopus - note confidential catch not shown.

1. Bell, JD, Ingram, BA, Gorfine, HK and Conron, SD 2023, Review of key Victorian fish stocks — 20122 Victorian Fisheries Authority Science Report Series No. 38, First Edition, June 2023. VFA: Queenscliff. 111pp.
2. Doubleday, ZA, Pecl, GT, Semmens, JM and Danyushevsky, L 2008, Stylet elemental signatures indicate population structure in a holobenthic octopus species, Octopus pallidus, Marine Ecology Progress Series, 371: 1–10.
3. Fraser, K, Hartmann, K, Gardner, C, Krueck, N 2022, Tasmanian Octopus Assessment 2021/22. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania.
4. Hall, KC 2018, NSW stock status summary 2018 - Octopuses (Octopus australis, Macroctopus maorum, O. tetricus and O. pallidus), NSW Department of Primary Industries, Coffs Harbour, NSW
5. Hall, KC 2020, NSW Stock status summary 2018/19 – Hammer Octopus (Octopus australis), NSW Department of Primary Industries, NSW Fisheries, Coffs Harbour, NSW
6. Higgins, KL, Semmens, JM, Doubleday, ZA and Burridge, CP 2013, Comparison of population structuring in sympatric octopus species with and without a pelagic larval stage, Marine Ecology Progress Series, 486: 203–212.
7. Hill, N, Krueck, N and Hartmann, K 2020, Tasmanian Octopus Fishery Assessment 2018/19, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania.
8. Krueck, N, Hill, N, Hartmann, K, and Fraser, K 2021, Tasmanian Octopus Fishery Assessment 2019/20, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania.
9. Leporati, SC, Pecl, GT and Semmens, JM 2007, Cephalopod hatchling growth: The effects of initial size and seasonal temperatures, Marine Biology, 151: 1375–1383.
10. Leporati, SC, Pecl, GT and Semmens, JM 2008a, Reproductive status of Octopus pallidus, and its relationship to age and size, Marine Biology, 155: 375–385.
11. Leporati, SC, Semmens, JM and Pecl, GT 2008b, Determining the age and growth of wild octopus using stylet increment analysis, Marine Ecology Progress Series, 367: 213–222.