Nautilus Fishing - A Short History

Ever since antiquity, the nautilus shell is considered very precious, as it has been used for the creation of jewelry and decorative items. The spiral of the nautilus shell has been associated with the concepts of harmony, balance, and limitless growth and it has been a very popular motif in artistic designs throughout the centuries.

Especially ever since the Renaissance, when the cabinets of curiosities became fashionable, the nautilus shell became an ornamental collectible, often carved, painted, and encrusted with gold.

With the rise of international trade, the demand for the shell of the nautilus has risen dramatically, leading to practices of overfishing and overexploitation. Europe and the United States are considered the two major importers. It is estimated that in the first decade of the 21st century, more than 900,000 chambered nautilus products have been imported to the U.S. alone.

Overexploitation has, in turn, led to a severe decline of the nautilus’ populations: to name just one example, researchers estimate that the population in the Philippines has been reduced by 80% in a period of just 15 years!

Save The Nautilus

Save The Nautilus

In contrast with octopuses and squid, which lay hundreds to even thousands of eggs (depending on the species), the nautilus female only gives birth to around 10 to 20 eggs.

Moreover, the female nautilus becomes mature enough to mate after at least 10-15 years of life (!) whereas the octopus attains sexual maturity in only a couple of months. To make things even worse, the brooding period for the nautilus’ eggs can be as long as 1 year!

For the aforementioned reasons, populations of nautiluses cannot be replenished as easily or as quickly as those of other cephalopods. This is why nautiluses are among the species that are in great need of protection.

Luckily, a peculiar team composed of concerned youths and scientists begun an initiative called “Save The Nautilus” which aims at raising awareness about the perilous condition of the nautilus.

CITES And The Future Of Nautilus

CITES And The Future Of Nautilus

Efforts such as the one of the “Save The Nautilus” initiative have paid off with the inclusion of the nautilus in the CITES Appendix II list.

CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species) is composed by 182 countries. In every conference of CITES, all these countries agree on which animal species are threatened by the international trade and are in need of protection. During the 2016 convention in South Africa, the strong majority of the countries voted in favor of including the nautilus in the Appendix II list, which means, practically, that trade of the nautilus is allowed only by special permission proving that such trade is not harmful to the nautilus’ local population.

The regulations are in effect since January 2017. As of 2018, the Chambered Nautilus is also included in the list of the Endangered Species Act. These regulations might have limited the nautilus trade to some extent but as the trade is still permitted, the future of the nautilus is not yet secured.

Nautiluses Are Greatly In Danger

International trade is not the only factor that affects the future of the nautilus. The nautilus is a coastal reef inhabitant and its home is being drastically altered due to human activity.

More than half of the reef areas where the Nautilus resides are already threatened with degradation. Development projects in coastal areas and the resulting pollution have altered the water temperature and pH, making it unfit for the highly overly nautilus.

Deep-sea mining and even disturbances caused by ecotourism are some of the additional threats to the survival of the nautilus.

It is obvious that the current regulations protecting the nautilus are not sufficient to eliminate the possibility of this amazing creature’s extinction. Each and every one of us should take personal responsibility for the matter. A simple step is to NEVER BUY A NAUTILUS product, no matter how mesmerizing and captivating these might be.

After all, who wants to be responsible for the extinction of an organism that has been on earth for more than 500 million years?