Plans for the world’s first octopus ‘megafarm’ have been cancelled amid a flurry of ethical and environmental concerns.
Nueva Pescanova, a Spanish seafood group, was aiming to build the aquaculture project in the maritime hub of Las Palmas, in the Canary Islands.
At its full capacity, the 31,000–square–meter fish farm would have slaughtered 3,000 tonnes of octopus per year – equivalent to more than one million animals.
Now, Nueva Pescanova has withdrawn its planning application to the Port Authority, putting an end to the controversial project.
According to a statement issued by the Port Authority, the seafood group blamed the failure on ‘significant extension of administrative deadlines’.
The company also cited uncertainty regarding the ‘completion of environmental and sectoral procedures’.
However, the project had faced staunch opposition from scientists and environmental and campaign groups from the moment of its inception.
In particular, scientists had slammed the group’s decision to intensively farm sentient animals that are capable of feeling pain and experiencing emotions.
Nueva Pescanova, a Spanish seafood group, has abandoned its plans to make the world’s first octopus ‘megafarm’ in the port of Las Palmas, in the Canary Islands. Pictured: One of the first octopus born in a farm in 2019
The global octopus market is estimated to be worth £2.2 billion, but there was previously no way to reproduce the entire octopus life cycle in captivity.
That changed in 2019 when Nueva Pescanova and the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) in Vigo announced they had found a way to raise octopus entirely in tanks.
In 2021, the company opened a file with the Port Authority of Las Palmas to begin plans for the world’s first octopus mega farm.
According to plans uncovered by campaigners Eurogroup for Animals, the company expected that 10 to 15 per cent of the octopus would die before becoming fully grown.
These solitary animals, which are used to the dark, would be kept under constant bright lights and crammed in with up to 15 other animals per cubic metre.
The octopus would then be killed by being plunged into a tank of ice held at –3°C (27°F), a method which studies have shown to cause a slow, painful death.
Immediately, animal rights groups raised concerns that these conditions would be highly unethical.
Octopus are widely acknowledged to be extremely intelligent animals, with many studies suggesting that they are capable of feeling pain and even emotion.
The global octopus market is estimated to be worth £2.2 billion, but farming the animals has been widely criticised for being unethical and harmful to the environment
Dr Elena Lara, Senior Research and Policy Advisor at Compassion in World Farming, told the Daily Mail: ‘Octopuses are complex, intelligent, and sentient animals.
‘As naturally solitary animals, octopuses would not fare well in the crowded conditions and high stocking densities that are typical of factory farm systems.
‘Octopuses are also known for their extraordinary intelligence, and as a result of their natural inquisitiveness and tendency to explore, manipulate and control their environment, they would be easily susceptible to boredom in captivity.’
Scientists also raised pressing concerns about the proposed farm’s environmental impact.
Reports estimated that the farm would require 2.1 billion wild–caught fish to feed the octopus within the first year alone.
This would have a significant impact on already over–pressured fish stocks in the region.
In 2023, the Aquatic Life Institute (ALI) issued a report warning that Nueva Pescanova was ‘prioritizing profits and polluting Las Palmas’.
Experts warned that waste and excess chemicals, such as antibiotics used to prevent the spread of disease, would seep out into the surrounding waters.
Separately, 130 members of the Aquatic Animal Alliance, including prominent scientists, wrote an open letter to the Canary Islands’ environmental agency raising concerns about the proposal.
The letter cautioned the environmental agency that the farm would cause ‘serious biophysical and biosecurity risks’ that Nueva Pescanova had not taken steps to prevent.
Despite this opposition, Nueva Pescanova does not acknowledge that ethical or environmental considerations played a role in the decision to cancel the project.
A spokesperson for the company told the Daily Mail they could ‘only confirm that we have cancelled the project in the Canary Islands’.
However, the Las Palmas Port Authority says the decision ‘stems exclusively from business and regulatory considerations’.
Likewise, the company insists that the decision ‘does not imply any acknowledgement regarding the potential future viability’ of octopus farming in the Canary Islands or elsewhere.
Giulia Malerbi, Head of Global Policy at Aquatic Life Institute, told the Daily Mail: ‘The withdrawal of Nueva Pescanova’s project sends an important warning. After years of research, substantial investment and an extended regulatory process, the company was still unable to bring the proposed farm into operation.
‘That demonstrates that farming octopuses at an industrial scale is neither straightforward nor low-risk.’
