Scientists and environmentalists oppose the plan to build the world’s first octopus farm in the Canary Islands by Nueva Pescanova. Eurogroup for Animals (EFA) obtained planning documents that revealed the farm would produce approximately 3,000 tons of octopus annually, equivalent to roughly one million octopuses. The proposed communal tanks are unsuitable for the creatures, which are naturally solitary and averse to light. The EFA claims that keeping octopuses in such tanks would not only harm their well-being but also increase the likelihood of aggression, territorialism, and cannibalism. Nueva Pescanova disagrees, stating that the species has been domesticated to some extent and that there are no significant indicators of cannibalism or rivalry for food. The planned method of killing the creatures using an ice slurry is considered inhumane and causes suffering. While proponents argue that octopus farming is a sustainable method of producing the creatures, opponents argue that it is not worth the cost to the creatures’ welfare.
Scientists and Environmentalists Oppose World’s First Octopus Farm in Canary Islands
Plans to build the world’s first octopus farm in the Canary Islands have been met with opposition from scientists and environmentalists who are deeply concerned about the welfare of the intelligent and solitary creatures. Nueva Pescanova, a Spanish multinational seafood firm, sent planning proposal documents to the Canary Islands’ General Directorate of Fishing for the farm.
The Belgium-based animal protection lobby, Eurogroup for Animals (EFA), obtained the documents and revealed that the farm would produce approximately 3,000 tons of octopus annually, equivalent to roughly one million octopuses. This number is three times the current number caught in the wild by Spanish fisheries.
The proposed farm would consist of communal tanks in a two-story building in the port of Las Palmas in Gran Canaria. Nueva Pescanova plans to keep 10 to 15 octopuses per cubic meter in the tanks, subjecting them to 24-hour light exposure to speed up their reproductive process. However, these conditions are unsuitable for the creatures that are naturally solitary and averse to light.
The EFA claims that keeping octopuses in communal tanks will not only harm their well-being but also increase the likelihood of aggression, territorialism, and cannibalism. Nueva Pescanova disagrees, stating that the species has been domesticated to some extent and that there are no significant indicators of cannibalism or rivalry for food. Population density research also shows that octopuses can adapt to group living conditions without conflict due to territoriality, according to Nueva Pescanova.
The firm would kill the octopuses by immersing them in an “ice slurry,” a method classified as inappropriate by the UK organization Humane Slaughter Association. EFA also calls it “a highly inhumane procedure that causes severe pain, anxiety, and suffering, as well as a delayed death.”
Octopus farming is touted as a sustainable way to produce the creatures for consumption and reduce the pressure on wild populations. However, scientists and environmentalists argue that such a move is detrimental to the creatures’ welfare and should not be pursued.
In conclusion, scientists and environmentalists are strongly opposed to the world’s first octopus farm in the Canary Islands due to the adverse impact it would have on the creatures’ welfare. The planned communal tanks and 24-hour light exposure are unsuitable for the naturally solitary and light-averse octopuses. Additionally, the proposed method of killing the creatures using an ice slurry is considered inhumane and causes suffering. While the proponents argue that octopus farming is a sustainable method of producing the creatures, opponents argue that it is not worth the cost to the creatures’ welfare.
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