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Octopuses infest Western Isles waters                                   21/7/08

Iain Macleod with a catch of crabs saved from the marauding octopuses

The MFV Goodwill, SY25, owned by the Macritchie Brothers of Hebridean Marine, fishes for crab off the west coast of the Western Isles which has been very badly hit by an infestation of octopuses this year.

Iain Macleod, skipper of the 26-foot crabber said he had never seen them so bad in 25 years at sea.

"This year has been really terrible. This job is hard enough as it is but sometimes half of (crabs in) every fleet of pots is eaten by octopuses.

"They're here on the west coast of the islands but the prawn boats in the Minch are also catching them in the trawl.

"It is teens a day, every day. Who knows what they are killing on the seabed?

“On one trip around the Flannan Isles I had 21 dead out of 42 pots."

One bonus is that "they are good bait for crabs" he added.