Behind a thick black curtain, eleven male breeding octopuses lit by a bar of low intensity neon swim in a vast pool of 25 square meters. Surrounded by conduits guaranteeing the right temperature and water quality conditions, some approach the edge by “walking” on their long gray tentacles, to meet the visitors, while others embrace each other with their arms on the black bottom of the tank.
It’s here, in the basement of the Spanish company Nueva Pescanova d’O Grove’s Biomarine Research Center, on the banks of the Arousa estuary, the largest estuary in Galicia, in northwestern Spain. Spain, that experiments have been carried out since 2018 which should lead to the opening of the first commercial octopus farm in the world. “Scientists have been trying to complete the octopus life cycle for decades. Neither Japan nor Korea succeeded. As far as we are concerned, we are ready, welcomes Roberto Romero, Aquaculture Director of Nueva Pescanova for Spain. Octopus has become one of the most demanded species, especially since the United States began to consume it. It is a super food, high in protein and low in fat, its market value is high and its growth is fast enough that the prospects for profitability are good. »
In the basin adjacent to that of the males, separated by a wall, five reproductive females twirl around the PVC pipes that act as refuges, where they are preparing to lay their cords loaded with an average of 200,000 to 300,000 microscopic eggs. If all goes according to company plans, by 2023 a 52,000 square meter aquaculture farm, capable of producing nearly 3,000 tons of octopus per year, or one million specimens weighing 3 kg on average, should come into operation 2,000 kilometers further south, in the port of Las Palmas in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands.
Confidential density
For animal and conservationists, however, this project is a “ecological nonsense”. Driven by the impact of Oscar-winning documentary The Wisdom of the Octopus, which revealed to the general public the fascinating intelligence of this animal with three hearts and a decentralized neural network, they have mobilized in recent months to denounce its ” cruelty “.
“The octopus is a wild, solitary and territorial animal. Studies carried out so far show that it develops aggressive behavior in groups, going as far as cannibalism. It is also a very curious and intelligent animal: the only mollusk capable of using tools, such as the shells it uses to hide and protect itself. And, as it has no shell, it is very fragile and can be injured easily, explains Elena Lara, doctor in biology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, spokesperson for the NGO Compassion in World Farming in Spain and member of the Aquatic Animal Alliance (AAA), a coalition of more than 110 NGOs and scientists from around the world mobilized against the project. We are very concerned about the welfare of this animal in the high density, captive conditions of an intensive farm, built for the culinary benefit of the few. »
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