He fishes with a harpoon for an octopus of extraordinary dimensions and “colossal power” along the cliffs of Leucate

The fisherman used a harpoon to catch the animal and force it out of the cavity in which it had taken refuge at a depth of around 6 m. The Independent

Sébastien Cala had to try about ten times to bring this XXL octopus to the surface, undoubtedly one of the biggest ever caught in France according to L'Indépendant.

Over 7.5 kg. This is the extraordinary weight of an octopus caught in Leucate in Aude on Sunday March 17 by a resident of Pézilla-la-Rivière, Sébastien Cala. According to L’Indépendant, this would probably be a new French record for this species.

“With its suction-cupped arms, it deploys a wingspan of 2 meters for a length of 1.35 m, explain our colleagues .It seems that the last of this ilk, considered the French record for octopus caught in the Mediterranean, was caught in 2022 in the nets of a professional fisherman in Carnon, and weighed 3,460 kg.”

"Colossal Power"

The fisherman used a harpoon to catch the animal and bring it out of the cavity in which it had taken refuge at a depth of approximately 6 m. Sébastien Cala had to do it about ten times to bring it to the surface and evokes the “colossal power” of this XXL octopus.

“From now on, all that remains for Sébastien Cala is to freeze this beautiful catch and cook it in various recipes of which he has the secret for his wife Manon and her children Lena and Tylio, while waiting, who knows, to beat another record at 20,000 leagues, or almost, under Leucate”, concludes L&amp ;rsquo;Independent.

“Some praise its extraordinary intelligence and its sociability underwater. Others remain impressed by its tentacles and color changes. And many lick their lips in advance when they sit down to eat, we wrote last year in an article devoted to the necessary protection of this species. Octopus does not leave anyone indifferent and it has never been so popular with fishermen because demand is ever increasing.”