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Date Published: 14/10/2021
ARCHIVED - Spain asked to cease cruel octopus farming
Scientists claim that octopuses cultivated on farms in Spain experience much 'suffering'
Animal welfare group Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) has made a formal request to the Spanish government to cease all industrial octopus farming after a recent report depicted the practice as “cruel” and “unsustainable”. According to the organisation, Spain is one of the leading countries in Europe for octopus farming.
In Spain alone, some 27,543 tonnes of octopus was consumed in 2018, placing it as the second largest consumer in Europe, second only to Italy, who routinely devour more than 60,000 each year. All this while the wild octopus population continues to decline, due in no small part to illegal fishing which has flourished in Spain in recent years.
According to the CIWF report, octopuses being raised on farms in Spain experience much “suffering” for a number of reasons. They are essentially solitary creatures, but are packed together in huge numbers, and research shows that their food, based mainly on fishmeal and oil in captivity, is not compatible with their carnivorous diet. In addition, the activists have criticised the lack of a humane slaughter method and the absence of legislation to protect their well-being.
“We have written to the Spanish Government expressing our concerns and urging them to stop any further development of octopus cultivation in our country”, the group confirmed.
Much of the unease around octopus cultivation stems from recent studies which show that octopuses are capable of a staggering range of emotions, similar to dogs or chimps. Extremely intelligent, scientists have found that octopuses have highly developed neurotransmitters that influence mood, emotional pain and depressive states. Moreover, the Cambridge Declaration of Consciousness includes the octopus among animals capable of self-awareness, such as elephants and dolphins, and it is known to play with other octopuses, and even other species, simply to have fun.
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