How University of Adelaide discovered Cepholopods are increasing and Calamari will be popular

“I don’t think it’s any one single factor. But something’s changing on quite a large scale that’s giving cephalopods an edge”

Dr. Zoë Doubleday from the University of Adelaide commenting on the rise of the octopii

Octopii or octopuses, whichever you're comfortable with, are on the rise.

So says research from Dr. Zoë Doubleday and her team from the Environmental Institute at the University of Adelaide as reported in the article “Swarms of Octopus Are Taking Over the Oceans”, published 24 May 2016 by Maddie Stone, Gizmodo. 

Their analysis, which was published in the journal Current Biology indicates that cephalopods have increased in numbers across the world's oceans since the 1950s. Cephalopods are multi-tentacles creatures that include:

1.      Squids

2.      Octopuses

3.      Cuttlefish

Cephalopods are prone to sudden increase and decreases in their population. Based on a sudden decrease in the number of giant Australian cuttlefish, her co-author suggested that they looked into the population of cephalopods across the world to see if they could spot a pattern.

So they pulled up data for the population of thirty five (35) species or genera of cephalopods across all major ocean regions from 1953 to 2013. Albeit many of the cephalopods have been in a state of flux, overall, their population has been increase, if you look at the overall data.

So are the octopus planning a mass attack on humanity these past sixty (60) plus years?

Cephalopods experiencing boom time - Kill and Kill Again, Octopussy style.

Reason for their increase are varied. One theory posits that increased overfishing has killed off the natural predators that would normally eat these cephalopods. Thus they've begun to reproduce unchecked.

Another possibility is that global warming may be benefitting them somehow, making them reproduce more as postulated in the article “World octopus and squid populations are booming”, published May. 23, 2016 by Patrick Monahan, Science Mag.

This is unlikely, as these boneless cephalopods do not like acidic water. Increased global warming is cause by Carbon Dioxide (CO₂), which dissolves into the seawater, making it more acidic. However, rising sea temperatures may hasten their reproduction and they may even adapt to the increasing level of Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) and increasing ocean acidity.

Whatever the reason, this means more of them for us humans to eat, albeit these highly cannibalistic “weed of the sea” often eat themselves when in excess until only the optimus octopii remains, Kill and Kill Again Style.

Calamari, anyone!?