CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 21 



OCTOPUS AS FOOD 



Strange as it may seem to some, the octopus is considered a food 

 delicacy by certain people in America, mainly Japanese, Chinese, 

 Italians and Greeks. Present day gastronomical acceptance of octopus 

 by these people may be traced back to the ancient Romans and Greeks, 

 who considered it the finest "fish" in the sea. Gourmands of Rome 

 ate with relish every species of octopus caught in the Mediterranean 

 Sea. These they baked in a sort of big pie, cutting up the arms and 

 filling the head with spices. 



The usual method of preparing octopus for the table by present 

 day connoisseurs is to cook it in boiling salted water twenty to thirty 

 minutes. The animal is first dipped in the boiling water a few times 

 as an aid to loosening the skin. After boiling, the animal is skinned, 

 cut into pieces and served with a vinegar sauce. For particular flavor, 

 some Italians add tomatoes and garlic while boiling. Before cooking, 

 the arms of an octopus might be pounded to loosen up the muscular 

 fibres. An aid to cleaning an octopus is to turn the mantle inside out at 

 the neck portion. 



COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE 



The commercial octopus fishery of California is of minor 

 importance. Since 1920, the annual catch has varied from 10,000 to 

 165,000 pounds, with about 75,000 pounds as the usual yearly landing. 

 Of the total annual State poundage, 85 per cent (all Polypus hong- 

 kongensis) is delivered at the two Monterey Bay ports : Monterey and 

 Santa Cruz. Monterey deliveries are the greatest in the State, com- 

 prising 65 to 70 per cent of the annual State catch. Next to Monterey, 

 the ports of largest deliveries are Santa Cruz and San Francisco. 

 During the past few years, San Francisco has surpassed Santa Cruz. 

 Monterey, however, holds its place by a wide margin. Within the past 

 few years, landings of Sonoma and Mendocino counties have increased 

 and rival those of San Francisco and Santa Cruz. Los Angeles, the 

 only other port of consequence, normally receives a few hundred pounds 

 a year. 



METHODS OF CAPTURE IN CALIFORNIA 



At Monterey and along the California coast in general, octopi 

 are captured, for the most part, in cage-like baited traps set close 

 to the rocks. The so-called '* devilfish" or octopus trap is constructed 

 as a wire screen box or a wicker basket. The most widely used trap 

 is the wicker basket, similar to the one pictured in Fig. 4. These 

 traps are 4 to 5^ feet high and about 2^ to 3 feet in diameter at the 

 large (mouth) end. A trap-door is located at the small end of the 

 trap, opposite the large end, and is for baiting the trap and extracting 

 the catch. There is but one mouth, which is in the form of a funnel 

 at the large end. This funnel is about 2 feet long and starts with 

 the circumference of the large end. It tapers to about a 6-inch 

 opening in the center of the trap. Most traps of this type are con- 

 structed of rattan with a few wires around the circumference for 

 reinforcement. The rattan is better than an entirely wire construction 

 because of its flexibility when in contact with rocks. 



