Research: Octopus Vulguris Fisheries at South Coast of Kenya (Dissertation Sample)

INTRODUCTION
Octopus belongs to the cephalopod family octopididae. Octopuses are characterizedbyLbilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and set ofLarmsLor tentaclesL(muscularhydrostats) modified from the primitive molluscan foot. The octopus group makes up arounda third of the worlds cephalopod population, with around 300 species found in waters aroundthe world. Some of this species include: common octopus, Atlantic pygmy octopus,Caribbean reef octopus, east pacific red octopus, mimic octopus, north pacific giant octopus,blue ringed octopus and California two-spot octopus. The octopus can be found in all theworlds’ oceans, with size ranging from a just few centimeters to number of feet depending onthe species of octopus. Octopus inhabit shallow waters and can be seen up to 200 meters(Silva et al., 2002), but the common octopus is generally found in the "near shore zone"(Miesel et al., 2006). The lifespan of the octopus depends on the species of octopus.The common octopus, Octopus vulgaris, is a medium to large sized species, chunky inappearance (Figure 1). The mantle (head section) of the octopus can reach about