Breeding octopuses in captivity has been considered a formidable challenge in aquaculture, but Spanish company Nueva Pescanova seemed to have cracked the code when they announced their success in 2019. However, their plans to open the first-ever octopus macro-farm in Spain’s Canary Islands have sparked a contentious debate among scientists, environmentalists, and animal welfare advocates. […]
Tag: octopus
Petition: Tell Lawmakers in California and Hawaii to Ban Octopus Farming
Washington state just took a major step forward to protect the intelligent, sensitive, wonderful creatures that are octopuses. Its legislators passed the world’s first-ever law to ban Octopus farming, which is fraught with cruelty and environmental hazards. As the bill’s sponsor, state representative Strom Peterson, said: “Octopus farming leads to suffering and sickness for one […]
From Opening Jars to Solving Complex Tasks: 5 Videos Showing the Surprising Problem-Solving Abilities of Octopuses
Ever wonder how smart octopuses are? These eight-armed sea creatures are smarter than you think. From opening jars with ease to tackling tricky tasks, they continue to blow our minds. Check out the videos below to see just how smart these marine geniuses are! 1. Opening Jars Source: BBC Earth/Youtube This genius octopus is showing […]
Just off California, octopuses are converging by the thousands. Here’s why
It was the last hour of a 30-hour dive, nearly two murky miles below the ocean’s surface. A remotely operated vehicle called the Hercules was exploring the foothills of the Davidson Seamount, an underwater volcano about 90 miles southwest of Monterey. Aboard the boat carrying researchers monitoring the Hercules, it was expected to be a […]
Deep-Sea Octopus Nursery Discovered off Coast of Costa Rica
Costa Rica has become the site of a groundbreaking discovery as scientists from the Schmidt Ocean Institute have uncovered a rare deep-sea octopus nursery, marking only the third known nursery of its kind in the world. The remarkable finding occurred during an exploration of deep-sea seamounts, underwater mountains known to foster biodiversity in the ocean […]
Petition: Tell Nueva Pescanova to Drop Its Plans to Build World’s First Octopus Farm
Research has shown that octopuses are sentient and intelligent beings who experience a variety and depth of emotions. Despite this, some companies are planning to farm these creatures for food. Some of the details from Nueva Pescanova’s proposal are that the octopuses would be kept in tiny tanks with other octopuses and be exposed to […]
Octopus farming turns my stomach – but are some species really more worthy than others?
The collective noun for a group of octopuses, in case you were wondering, is a consortium – not, as some wags might tell you, a seafood buffet. I myself don’t eat octopus, and have made a lot of noise about why: they’re as smart as parrots, their brain is spread over their arms, they are […]
Why We Must Reject Octopus Farming Before It Begins
Octopuses have existed for millions of years and are recognized as some of the most intelligent animals in the sea. In 2020, My Octopus Teacher, a Netflix original documentary film, captured the heartfelt relationship between humans and octopuses, placing a spotlight on these miraculous creatures. However, they are all too often treated as a commodity, […]