Why Was the Giant Octopus Farm Project Shut Down?

The plans to establish the world’s first commercial octopus farm in Spain have been officially cancelled. Following the termination of this project, which sparked international debate for several years, a number of countries and certain US states are taking measures to ban octopus farming before it even begins.

This concerns Nueva Pescanova company's planned €65 million farm in the port area of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. According to the project, it aimed to produce 3,000 tons of octopus meat annually. However, after five years of legal disputes regarding its environmental impact, the company abandoned the plan. The company stated that the decision was solely related to business and legal factors.

Since its announcement in 2021, the project has faced severe criticism from animal rights organizations and the public. Experts emphasized that octopuses are highly intelligent animals capable of feeling pain and stress, and stated that mass farming them in artificial conditions poses a serious ethical problem.

According to scientists, keeping solitary octopuses together in a single tank can lead to stress, aggression, and even cannibalism. At the same time, the company had argued that aquaculture would reduce pressure on wild octopus populations.

In recent years, the US states of Washington and California have banned octopus farming. Similar bills are also being debated in Spain, Mexico, and Chile. Experts consider this decision in Spain an important milestone in the fight against commercial octopus farms, but do not rule out the possibility that such projects might emerge in other regions in the future.