To mark World Octopus Day (8 October), we’ve released a new report which exposes just how damaging the expansion of carnivorous aquaculture – including the introduction of octopus farms – could be.

Devastating our oceans

If the industry grows as projected, it would come at a significant cost to food security and marine ecosystems. Here’s how:

The world’s first octopus farm could require a massive 28,000 tonnes of wild-caught fish in its first year for feed – but would produce only 3,000 tonnes of octopus meat.
This is the equivalent of two billion wild caught fish used for feed in the first year, and it could rise to a staggering seven billion by 2040.
These fish would be taken from vital forage fisheries in West Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia, posing a serious threat to food security and livelihoods, as well as marine life.

Beyond octopus, the report also outlines how farming carnivorous fish – such as salmon and trout – in larger quantities would raid the oceans:

The United Kingdom is expected to produce 202,836 tonnes of carnivorous aquaculture a year by 2040.
The demand for wild-caught fish in the EU could rise by 70% by 2040, to 2.5 million tonnes, up to 192 billion individual fish per year.
Europe has added 78 new farmed species since 1985, 70% of them needing animal-based feeds.

Cruel slaughter

Octopus farming would also be a tragedy for animal welfare. Our new undercover footage, revealed today, shows the cruel slaughter method Nueva Pescanova plans to use in its proposed octopus farm in Gran Canaria, Spain. The footage of wild-caught octopuses shows the animals suffering slow and agonising deaths by being forcibly submerged in icy water, taking at least ten minutes to die.

‘Growing threat’ of octopus & carnivorous fish farms revealed