Spanish firm abandons world's first industrial octopus farm project

Nueva Pescanova has dropped its €65 million plan to establish large-scale octopus farming in the Canary Islands, reigniting debate over the ethics of farming highly intelligent wild animals.

First covered Aug 12, 2026 · 9:00 PM PT · 1 article

Spanish firm abandons world's first industrial octopus farm project — Image via theguardian.com

Coverage

17h Guardian Environment Too smart to eat? Why octopus farms are such a slippery problem — As a controversial Spanish plan for sustainable meat on an industrial scale is dropped, it has revived the ethical debate over farming these intelligent wild…

More coverage from around the web

foodingredientsfirst.com Nueva Pescanova abandons world-first octopus farm after regulatory delays

perishablenews.com Plans for World’s First Commercial Octopus Farm Have been Abandoned - Perishable News

undercurrentnews.com Nueva Pescanova abandons plans for world’s first commercial octopus farm - Undercurrent News

theportugalnews.com World’s First Commercial Octopus Farm Abandoned After Years of Opposition - The Portugal News

theolivepress.es Gran Canaria octopus farm axed over odour fears in main port

Appeared in: 2026-08-13 (#11)

← Back to the brief