43 Groups send open letter to Canary Islands government over proposed octopus farm

As many as 43 groups have committed themselves and their names to an open letter directed at the Canary Islands government to stop the plans for an octopus farm.

It was all the way back in 2019 when Spanish company Nueva Pescanova made a significant breakthrough in their pursuit of building and establishing an octopus farm and been able to recoup around 3,000 tonnes of the much-loved food.

Octopus is a well-liked delicacy in the Canary Islands and also all around the world, so getting more of it would likely be a huge green flag for most people, but the methods used to bring in such an increased amount is what has people worried.

According to experts and environmental and animal welfare organisations, creating such an octopus farm would result in the animals suffering, create environmental damage and they believe it may even end up disrupting the islands’ tourism trade.

Why are people against this octopus farm?

The many groups to have put themselves on this open letter do not just come from Spain either, because this issue appears to have struck a nerve of many groups and people all over Europe with groups from Spain, the United Kingdom and other countries on the continent asking for the stop of this plan.

The Spanish company leading the move and to have caused such an outrage claim they have now found a way to ensure that the animals are not harmed and feel no pain while being placed and bred in this so-called farm.

Nueva Pescanova have sent the Canary Islands government plans of how they will be able to follow through and complete this octopus farm which claim that the creatures – who usually live in dark conditions – would instead be kept in 1,000 communal tanks placed in a two-storey building in the port and at certain times would be under constant light.

However, environmental experts and activist groups have sent their own letter to the government about the plans and how they can’t go ahead and if they do, they will be putting the creatures through suffering and pain.

What is being said about the proposed Canary Islands plans?

They said: “The creatures live and hunt alone and would suffer in empty tanks that offer no stimulation to their intelligent brains, resulting in possible aggression and cannibalism.

“Plans to slaughter the octopuses in icy water would also cause them to suffer slow and painful deaths.”

Back in 2021, the UK government took a strong stance over the creatures and claimed that they were sentient beings, following a report with Lord Zac Goldsmith who claimed ‘the science is now clear’ that they can indeed feel pain.

Elena Lara, research manager at Compassion in World Farming has also spoken about the farming of octopuses, she said: “They belong in our oceans, not in farms. They are sentient creatures that feel pain, suffering and distress, just like other animals.

“Not only would farming them be cruel and unnecessary, it would also be unsustainable and damaging to our oceans.

“They would need to be fed wild-caught fish in captivity – a practice that would contribute to overfishing and food insecurities in already vulnerable communities around the world.”

The fact they would need to be fed wild fish would clearly bring about further problems, as mentioned by Lara, with overfishing and thus causing issues for the ocean and wildlife at sea, so this octopus farm appears to be a very poor and ill-advised idea from all involved.