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EnvironmentNueva Pescanova abandons world's first commercial octopus farm in Canary Islands
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Spanish seafood company Nueva Pescanova has abandoned plans to build the world's first commercial octopus farm in the Canary Islands, citing business and regulatory constraints. The project, announced in 2019, aimed to raise up to one million octopuses annually in land-based tanks but faced strong opposition from environmental groups over animal welfare concerns, citing octopuses' intelligence and solitary nature, as well as environmental impacts from carnivorous feed. NGOs celebrated the decision as a victory, urging governments to ban octopus farming entirely. The article also notes ongoing EU efforts to boost aquaculture to reduce seafood imports, despite similar controversies over a proposed salmon mega-farm in France.
Source report
Plans for the world's first commercial octopus farm in Spain's Canary Islands have been abandoned due to regulatory constraints, with NGOs hailing the decision as an animal-welfare victory.
Spanish seafood company Nueva Pescanova dropped its bid to build the facility at the port of Las Palmas, national media reported on Thursday, citing a letter sent by the company to local authorities.
Project Background
The project, first announced in 2019, aimed to raise up to one million octopuses per year in land-based water tanks. It drew strong pushback from environmental groups, which have long argued that the "extraordinary intelligence" and solitary nature of octopuses make them unfit for farming.
Activists also raised concerns about the potential environmental impact, as carnivorous species such as octopuses rely on large quantities of fish-based feed.
Reactions
"Now governments must go further by banning octopus farming and preventing the expansion of carnivorous aquaculture," said Elena Lara, policy officer at the NGO Compassion in World Farming.
Despite opposition, Nueva Pescanova stated that the decision to scrap its plans was based solely on "business and regulatory considerations."
Broader Context
NGOs still have another project to monitor: a salmon mega-farm in France. Pure Salmon recently cleared another hurdle toward building a major aquaculture facility in the south-west of the country, which could produce 10,000 tonnes of fish annually and has raised similar concerns.
Meanwhile, Brussels is stepping up its ambitions for aquaculture, seen as a way to narrow the EU's heavy seafood deficit — around 60% of fish consumed in the bloc is imported. Commission officials also warn that consumer demand favours carnivorous species such as salmon and octopus.
Source
EuractivWestern
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World's First Commercial Octopus Farm Abandoned in Spain's Canary Islands