In Spain, authorities and the fishing industry agreed on imposing a ban on octopus fishing in Galician waters for a six-week period, from 20 May 20 until 4 July, and imposing catch limitations thereafter in an effort to improve the stocks in these waters. The action was the result of an analysis that was undertaken from December 2015 to May 2016. During this period, prices were solid as a result of earlier restrictions. In the beginning of June, supplies of fresh cooked octopus and frozen octopus in Mercamadrid, a Spanish food distribution company, increased.

During the first quarter of 2016, Japanese imports of frozen octopus fell by 13.4%. The main reductions came from lower shipments from Mauritania, which shipped 49% less than during the same period in 2015. Shipments from Morocco and China both went up.

Spanish octopus imports, on the other hand, grew by 11.5% during the first quarter period, to 15 500 tonnes. The main supplier, Morocco, increased exports to Spain by almost 22%, to total 10 000 tonnes. For the other suppliers there were only minor changes. 

US octopus imports declined by some 17% during the first quarter of 2016 compared with the same period in 2015. Imports fell from 5 700 tonnes in 2015 to 4 700 tonnes in 2016. 

The report analyses the octopus market situation over the period January-March 2016