Spain abandons controversial plan to build world's first octopus farm

Global plans for the industrial farming of octopuses have suffered a decisive blow. The €65 million megaproject, which envisioned creating the world's first commercial farm in the port of Las Palmas on Gran Canaria, is officially being shelved. Seafood producer Nueva Pescanova has abandoned its intentions after years of public protest and legal disputes with local authorities.

This decision has resonated worldwide, defining a new ethical approach to marine creatures and natural resources.

The essence of the project and the origins of resistance

The company's plans involved producing about 3,000 tons of octopus meat annually — meaning the farming and slaughter of about one million creatures per year. The slaughter technology involved chilling the water to minus 3 degrees Celsius. At the same time, the very nature of octopuses as nocturnal and solitary animals was completely ignored: they were planned to be kept in common tanks under constant artificial lighting.

A wave of protests began immediately after the project's announcement in 2021. Public outrage intensified significantly after the release of the Oscar-nominated documentary "My Octopus Teacher," which showed the world the high level of intelligence and emotional depth of these creatures. The attempt to commercialize their farming faced harsh criticism from scientists and activists.

Professor of Animal Organization Studies at the University of York, Lindsey Hamilton, emphasized: "There is much to consider here — we are effectively interfering with the lives of creatures capable of feeling and understanding what is happening to them."

She added that placing solitary animals in a single tank causes them immense stress and aggression, which has already led to instances of cannibalism in similar experimental facilities. Scientific findings and changes in UK law, adopted in 2022 and reaffirmed in 2026, officially recognized the presence of highly developed perception and sentience in cephalopods.

Business arguments

Nueva Pescanova itself long dismissed the ethical claims. During meetings with journalists, company representatives called these disputes "an artificial discussion," arguing that the public does not object to the farming of hundreds of thousands of tons of other fish.

According to their position, the project could reduce pressure on wild populations and the capture of octopuses in the ocean, which reaches 420,000 tons per year.

Consequences

The abandonment of the project in Spain became a catalyst for legislative initiatives worldwide. The USA (California, Washington), Mexico, Chile, and other countries began preventively banning octopus farms, creating a new international standard in the field of animal rights protection.

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