Cephalopods Thrive: Warming Oceans Promise Lots of Calimari

Take note calamari lovers: Cephalopods, including octopus, squid and cuttlefish, are thriving in warming oceans, according to a study published Monday in the journal Current Biology.

Researchers at the University of Adelaide examined data from cephalopod fisheries around the world and found steady increases in cephalopod populations between 1953 and 2013, Live Science reported.

The study was spurred by concerns about declining numbers of giant Australian cuttlefish, and scientists were surprised by the results, which showed increasing numbers of cephalopods in a variety of environments. It even revealed that numbers of giant Australian cuttlefish are bouncing back.

The researchers looked at 35 cephalopod species, including those that swim in the open ocean and others that live in tide pools, said The New York Times. Their findings show a stark contrast with a 2015 World Wildlife Fund report that found numbers of about 1,200 marine vertebrate species declined by nearly half between 1970 and 2012.

Cephalopods are highly adaptable thanks to their "rapid growth, short lifespans and flexible development," lead author Zoë Doubleday told The Guardian, describing the creatures as "weeds of the sea."

“Cephalopods have this ‘live fast, die young’ life history strategy – the rock stars of the sea, if you like to call them that,” project leader Bronwyn Gillanders told The Guardian.

Global warming and overfishing have led to rapid declines in fish populations while further benefitting cephalopods, which are thriving in a warmer environment with fewer predators, said The Guardian.

"Cephalopods are an ecologically and commercially important group of invertebrates that are highly sensitive to changes in the environment," Gillanders said in a news release. "We're currently investigating what may be causing them to proliferate - global warming and overfishing of fish species are two theories. It is a difficult, but important question to answer, as it may tell us an even bigger story about how human activities are changing the ocean."

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