Today (23 July), we are thrilled to learn that Nueva Pescanova has finally abandoned plans for the world’s first octopus farm in Gran Canaria, Spain!

Years of tireless campaigning

In May 2021, Nueva Pescanova, a Spanish multinational seafood company, announced plans to open an octopus farm in Gran Canaria. In response, we launched a global campaign, which included:

three major research reports
over 43,000 supporter emails to the Port Authority in the last 6 weeks alone
over 130 signatures of our open letter, from NGOs and scientists across the world
global media outrage.

Octopuses are incredibly intelligent, wild animals with complex needs. Stopping this farm has saved them from serious suffering. It would also have been completely unsustainable, damaging the environment and biodiversity.

A huge victory

Dr Elena Lara, Senior Research and Policy Advisor at Compassion in World Farming, said:

After years of pressure, this is a huge victory for octopuses, our oceans and everyone who joined us in campaigning to stop the world's first octopus farm.

Octopuses are intelligent, wild animals, not products to be caged in factory farms. The decision to abandon this project sends a powerful message that the future of food must not be built on animal suffering.

Now governments must go further by banning octopus farming and preventing the expansion of carnivorous aquaculture.

Keep them wild

This is a huge win for our campaign, our supporters, and our allies. But there is still a lot of interest in the development of octopus farms.

We will keep fighting – in Spain, and internationally – to keep these amazing animals wild.

Major win for octopuses