The latest octopus update with Dr Bryce Stewart

A new report on the 2025 octopus bloom has just been published. Here, Dr Bryce Stewart, Senior Research Fellow at the MBA and and Associate Professor at the University of Plymouth, talks about the causes and consequences (particularly for the fishing industry) of the octopus bloom, and what the future might hold.The report was funded by Defra, Plymouth City Council, Devon County Council. It is led by the Marine Biological Association with partners at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, University of Plymouth and independent consultant Dr Simon Thomas.The new report is available here.Stewart, B.D., Thomas, S., Smyth, T.J., James, M.K., Sullivan, E., Hall, A.E., Osmond, T. and Sheehan, E.V. 2026. Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) blooms off the Southwest of the UK: History, trends, causes and consequences. Report on Work Package 1: History, causes and consequences of octopus blooms. Marine Biological Association, 104pp.Text us your comments and feedbackThanks for listening!If you have any questions you can contact us at the Marine Biological Association here.Join the Marine Biological Association and receive four copies a year of The Marine Biologist, our prestigious and beautifully curated magazine. MBA membership comes with a host of other benefits. Follow us on social: www.facebook.com/thembaukwww.instagram.com/thembauk@thembauk.bsky.social