Nautilus - the sad truth

A Nautilus is a kind of cephalopod mollusc that is related to squids, cuttlefishes and octopuses. The shell protects the animal inside and helps it to stay buoyant. By pumping water into and out of the chambers of the shell, the nautilus can move up and down to a maximum depth of 800 metres.

Nautilids are found in the Indo-Pacific region and are deepwater predators and scavengers. They tend to live near seamounts and steep, coral reef drop-offs. As they can’t cross large ocean expanses, they tend to breed with local nautiluses which limits the genes that get passed on through successive generations.

Nautilids are actively fished in the Philippines. Live animals are caught for the aquarium market, whole and part shells are sold as products such as ornaments, jewellery and clothing, and the soft parts are sold as meat for exotic food markets. These populations have drastically declined due to their trade and the fact that they’re particularly vulnerable because they take many years to mature and lay few eggs per year. As a result, they are currently being assessed for CITES listing.

Unfortunately, the population structure and genetics of most Nautilus species is not well understood, which makes managing their survival difficult. More research is needed to determine whether fishing some populations should stop immediately.