Library:Uncovering the Horrific Reality of Octopus Farming (report)
Uncovering the Horrific Reality of Octopus Farming is a report published by Compassion in World Farming and Eurogroup for Animals in March 2023. The report exposes the animal welfare and environmental issues associated with the plans of Nueva Pescanova, a Spanish seafood company, to build the world’s first commercial octopus farm in the Canary Islands.
Summary
The report reviews the scientific evidence on the biology and behaviour of octopuses and argues that they are unsuitable for farming conditions. The report warns that octopuses are highly intelligent, sensitive, and solitary animals, who would suffer greatly from overcrowding, aggression, cannibalism, stress, and inhumane slaughter methods. The report also highlights the environmental impacts of octopus farming, such as the dependence on wild-caught fish for feed, the waste production, the greenhouse gas emissions, and the potential disease outbreaks.
The report urges the Spanish authorities to reject the permission to build the octopus farm, and calls for a moratorium on any new developments of octopus farming. The report also recommends that the EU should not provide funding or support to any industrial octopus farming projects, and that consumers should avoid eating octopus products.
Conclusions
The conclusions of the report are:
- The plans and practices of Nueva Pescanova to build the world’s first commercial octopus farm are extremely concerning on both animal welfare and environmental grounds.
- Octopuses are unsuitable for farming conditions given their solitary nature, high intelligence, and sensitivity to pain and stress.
- Octopuses will be slaughtered using ice slurry, an inhumane killing method that causes pain, fear, and suffering.
- Octopuses will be fed with commercial feeds containing fishmeal and fish oil, which are unsustainable and contribute to overfishing and deforestation.
- The environmental impacts of waste, disease, and greenhouse gas emissions from the farm have not been properly evaluated or mitigated.
- The permission to build the farm should be rejected, and a moratorium on any new developments of octopus farming should be imposed.
- The EU should not provide funding or support to any industrial octopus farming projects, and consumers should avoid eating octopus products.