Global outcry

It’s been five years since the Spanish seafood company Nueva Pescanova submitted plans to farm these intelligent, naturally solitary animals in underwater tanks.

The proposals sparked global outcry from the public, scientists, and policymakers. We warned that farming octopuses in intensive conditions would be cruel, likely leading to stress, aggression, and even cannibalism.

What’s more, there is no scientifically approved, humane way to slaughter octopuses. Our undercover footage shows how these octopuses would suffer slow, agonising deaths.

Environmental threats

Octopus farms also pose a serious threat to the environment, marine life, and food security. As carnivores, they would need to be fed thousands of tonnes of wild-caught fish, depleting our already overfished oceans, and impacting local livelihoods in vulnerable coastal communities.

These concerns were enough for the Canary Islands government to ask Nueva Pescanova for a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

However, the company never provided the required full EIA and as a result, the legal deadline for the port concession has now expired, according to Spanish law.

Port urged to shut down octopus farm project