More Australian octopus set for restaurant menus Richard Cornish Photo: Richard Cornish Move over, calamari. The pale octopus is set to take its place on more restaurant plates in Sydney and Melbourne. "Thirty years ago calamari was caught as bait," says Victorian Fisheries Authority director Dallas D'Silva. "Now it is one of the most highly valued seafoods in the nation. We're hoping the pale octopus can do the same, capturing the imagination of Australian seafood lovers while giving a good return to our commercial fishers." D'Silva refers specifically to the species Octopus pallidus. In the past, the medium-sized octopus has been a bycatch of lobster and scallop fishing and was sometimes used as bait in lobster traps. Found in waters around southern Australia it has a pale, sandy colour which helps it blend into sea floors.