Climate change and the rise of the octopus fishery in the Campeche Bank, México

Abstract

The octopus fishery is one of the most important fisheries in the Gulf of México, particularly in the Campeche Bank. By 1980, the octopus yields appeared to be stabilized at approximately 8,000 t per year, and the catches were almost completely composed of Octopus maya. After a regime shift, the catches increased, averaging 19,000 t per year of O. maya and 6,500 t of O. vulgaris over the last two decades. In this contribution, it is evidenced that the increases in the annual yields of O. maya since the 1990s, which reflect the changes in biomass, are related to climate change. The warming trend and the increase in irradiance after 1980 favoured both growth and individual robustness, which, in addition to the significant decreases in the main predators, suggest a positive effect on the survival and recruitment of the octopus stock.