Nueva Pescanova plans to build the world’s first large-scale octopus farm in Spain’s Canary Islands, despite growing concerns about the sentience and intelligence of these animals.

The company claims it will farm octopuses responsibly and sustainably, but their proposed methods, such as confining them in communal tanks and submerging them in ice-cold water, are controversial and may cause severe pain and stress.

The increasing awareness of the cognitive abilities of octopuses has raised ethical concerns about farming them for food, and the company may face criticism and backlash from animal rights activists and the general public.

They argue that, given what we know about the cognitive abilities and potential for suffering of octopuses, farming them is morally unacceptable and should not become a new norm.