NIFS announced that it made great progress in the development of aquaculture technology for Giant Pacific Octopus (GPO) with the success of rearing GPO over 200 days from hatching to the one similar to the young GPO. 

The success in rearing GPO by producing artificial seeds is very rare because it requires very high technical level. For this reason, only two cases were reported in the world: one was in Japan, 1980 (one year and two months, one GPO); the other was in the U.S., 1986 (three years and two months, one GPO). Several research institues in Korea also made various attempts on the research, but there has been no success so far. 

Since 2018, the East Sea Fisheries Research Institute of NIFS has been conducting fundamental research on clarifying initial live feeds and rearing condition for the development of technology to produce GPO artificial seed. Through the research, it updates the rearing technology every year (rearing period ’20/99 days, ’21/104 days, and ’23/123 days). 

Particularly, the success in rearing for over 200 days at this time is an achievement built on the existing research results and expected to become an important foundation for research on young GPO production. 

The East Sea Fisheries Research Institute will further develop the research achievement for better GPO aquaculture by exchanging information with the research consulting unit established in May for the development of cephalopoda aquaculture technlogy, consisting of relevant organizations* and fishermen.

*The Haeseong Fisheries Resource Center and Business Office of Gangwon State, the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency (FIRA), and Lotte World Aquarium