Global Courant 2023-05-21 20:02:26
Animal rights activists have gathered in Madrid to protest plans to build a large-scale octopus farm
Animal rights activists gather to protest outside the Ministry of Agriculture in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, May 21, 2023. The activists protested plans to build the first large-scale octopus farm, saying there are no laws in the country or the European Union to prohibit it to ensure the welfare of octopuses in captivity. The farm will be built next year in the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. (AP Photo/Paul White)
The associated press
MADRID — Animal rights activists gathered in Madrid on Sunday to protest plans to build an octopus farm in Spain. They said there are no respective laws in the country and the European Union to ensure the welfare of captive animals.
The proposed farm, which aims to breed octopuses in captivity on a large scale, will be built next year in the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean.
Several dozen people showed up to express concern about a project that plans to trap 3 million octopuses in pools, despite these creatures being solitary predators in their natural habitat.
“It is similar to locking up tigers together. They will hunt each other and will also try to escape because of their high intelligence and agility,” said Jaime Posada, a spokesman for the protest called for by several animal welfare groups.
Octopuses bred in captivity will behave differently from those in the wild, said Nova Pescanova, the fish company that promotes this nursery. Since 2018, the company has been running a pilot project at a research facility in northern Spain where they have succeeded in breeding five captive-born generations of the cephalopods.
“It is not possible to breed any (animal) species in the European Union without respecting their welfare conditions. It is the norm and our group does nothing but comply with the guidelines and legislation,” says Roberto Romero, director of aquaculture at the multinational.
As demand for octopus consumption rises, growing octopuses is considered a first step towards sustainable food production.
Octopus is a staple of the Mediterranean diet, especially popular in Spain and Italy, although they both import most of the octopus they consume. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, global demand for this delicacy has recently increased, with countries like the United States witnessing a 23% increase in imports between 2016 and 2018, and China a 73% increase.
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This story has been corrected to show that the spokesperson’s last name is Posada, not Poasada,
