Fisheries Wildlife. The main markets for the animals – the US, Europe, Japan and China – are areas where people are already well-fed. Researchers want to pioneer octopus farming; but is it ethical to farm sentient, intelligent creatures? And, like other carnivorous aquaculture, octopus farming would increase, not alleviate, pressure on wild aquatic animals,” they argue. “I know those who would never eat them but have no qualms about eating pigs, and there's abundant evidence that pigs are highly intelligent.”, Pigs, however, aren’t as graceful, mysterious, and charismatic as octopuses. There are approximately 300 species of octopuses, more than 100 of which are captured in the wild. These efforts have foundered, however, because octopus larvae eat only live food – which has made feeding them difficult and expensive. It is unsustainable. Aquaculture advocates say that farming octopuses is the only way to ensure sustainability while satisfying demand. But octopuses have largely escaped this … (Nautiluses are the only members of the cephalopod family, which also includes squid and cuttlefish, known to breed repeatedly.) Earlier this year, Godfrey-Smith and colleagues urged governments, companies and universities to stop investing in octopus farming, calling it unsustainable, unethical, and unnecessary. “We'll join a project with the Cephalopod Laboratory in Naples to determine how best to kill them humanely.”. This young Atlantic common octopus was photographed at Pescanova Biomarine Centre, the research and development lab of Pescanova, a Spain-based multinational seafood company developing octopus aquaculture. Feb 3, 2019 #1 This is a tough topic. But the global catch—420,000 metric tons a year, the FAO reports—goes largely to affluent consumers in South Korea, Japan, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and, lately, the United States. Joined May 30, 2000 Messages 10,414. Their product commands a premium price, about £8 a pound; they can sell the tender undersize octopuses that chefs favour but fishing rules protect, and supply octopus during the six months when fishing is forbidden. However, research and testing may make it possible to farm octopus at an industrial scale. Speaking up about these concerns before octopus farming becomes a reality was part of the point, says Jennifer Jacquet, an interdisciplinary scientist at New York University. His response has been to enlist local women—wives of octopus fishermen—to clean and maintain his lab's dozens of tanks in exchange for all the marketable octopus produced. EXTERNAL STUDY This is a summary of an external study. Sheep were probably the first animals domesticated by hu- mans for food, starting at least 9,000 years ago. By Daniel T Cross on May 15, 2019. Octopus farming is ‘unethical and a threat to the food chain’ Mass-breeding of the highly intelligent creatures is ecologically unjustified, a new study says. “But there is also little awareness of the cultivation systems and those who cultivate octopus. Furthermore, Tur says, “we have eliminated the competition and cannibalism” that are octopus hallmarks, and have identified a previously unreported fourth stage in the common octopus’s life cycle—transparent alevin, a transitional stage between paralarvae and fully formed juveniles. From our point of view, farming any kind of animal is an act of cruelty. Conroy, a biologist who turned to aquaculture to escape the research-funding rat race, admits that such close encounters don’t encourage more consumption. Should people farm octopus? Even Rosas, a biologist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico who's worked for years to turn creatures like this into a profitable commodity, delights in its prehensile grace. … As the popularity of eating octopus has grown, efforts to farm them commercially are raising questions about their welfare in captivity. Scientists question the ethics, sustainability of planned octopus farms "Mass producing octopus would repeat many of the same mistakes we made on land," environmental scientist Jennifer Jacquet said. Contacted in January, Nisui would say only, “Unfortunately we are still in research and development stage.”. But that life cycle presents one big hurdle: sustaining delicate planktonic octopus hatchlings, called paralarvae, until they can begin this rocketing growth. The case against this practice is centred on both ethical and environmental considerations. “Such efforts are occurring despite the fact that octopus farming has the same environmental consequences as other types of carnivorous aquaculture. They can add 5 percent of body weight in a day. The researchers say that farming octopuses would require the catching of vast amounts of fish and shellfish to feed them, putting further pressure on the planet’s already threatened marine livestock. Now they’re becoming an ethical flashpoint, as researchers like Rosas puzzle out ways to make commercial octopus farming feasible and, they claim, relieve growing pressure on wild populations. “That means campaigners and activists don’t have products or outlets to target. She will then be two years old, about twice the average O. vulgaris lifespan. Welfare Husbandry. Also read about the growing trend for pet octopuses. Among the million tonnes of molluscs, octopus farming is an emerging issue. Octopus farming is ‘unethical and a threat to the food chain’ Mass-breeding of the highly intelligent creatures is ecologically unjustified, a new study says … I try to only buy meat and eggs that are organic, grass-fed, cage-free, all that (and there are many classifications). A mouse-sized octopus with tentacles like knotted threads, ghostly pale save for big, black eyes, wriggles across his palm and twines around his fingers. Tur, who like Conroy turned to aquaculture because research funding was scarce, believes studying octopuses will yield big dividends in antibiotics (from their protective mucous coating), neuron and tissue regeneration, and robotics. Some researchers, however, are pointing to environmental and ethical reasons why octopus farming might not be as simple as it seems. I don't eat cephalopods, but I do eat meat. There are approximately 300 species of octopuses, more than 100 of whichare captured in the wild using nets, pots, lines, and traps. Why should research money be used to support a project that will inevitably have so many welfare and environmental problems once it is scaled up?”, Mass-breeding of the highly intelligent creatures is ecologically unjustified, a new study says. Across the Atlantic, Carlos Rosas has an easier time with the octopus life cycle. Not good, a new contingent of critics contends: Octopus aquaculture will further deplete marine ecosystems and needlessly torment these most sensitive and intelligent of invertebrates. Like salmon, they're short-lived and fast-growing; most common species live one to two years, a few jumbo varieties three to five. Most wild octopus fisheries are still more artisanal than industrial, using small boats and traditional techniques. (Also read about the growing trend for pet octopuses. Octopus Farming & Ethics. Some researchers, however, are pointing to environmental and ethical reasons why octopus farming might not be as simple as it seems. ), That debate caught fire last year when Jennifer Jacquet, a professor of environmental studies at New York University, and several co-authors posted an essay, “The Case Against Aquaculture,” that quickly went viral. A group of scientists are arguing against the development of octopus farming. In addition to discussing ethical concerns and methods of humane killing, as well as the ecological implications of in-shore intensive aquaculture of cephalopods. Octopuses are curious creatures who can suffer from stress. This young Mexican four-eyed octopus, O. maya, is from biologist Carlos Rosas Vázquez's co-op in Sisal, Mexico. Ricardo Tur Estrada, Pescanova’s research chief and a veteran of the institute, says it has not only raised successive generations of Octopus vulgaris, the Atlantic common octopus, but also delayed the kill switch on octopus lifespan. The common octopus, O. vulgaris, is found around the world. Some have been shown to use tools, for example. Scientists believe that octopuses are not suited to a life in captivity and mass-production, for reasons both ethical and ecological. I would much rather that they survived to do their own thing in the sea. The operation is artisanal. There are many reasons to be worried by the prospect of octopus farming growing to an industrial scale. “People have this weird love affair with octopuses,” says biologist Rich Ross at the California Academy of Science, in San Francisco. “They can't reproduce that.”, Rosas concedes the importance of humane conditions and enrichment (such as conch shells for them to hide in) and says his lab tries to provide those. Octopuses at a fish market in Tokyo, Japan. Octopuses, they argue, are “particularly ill-suited to a life in captivity and mass-production, for reasons both ethical and ecological.” Confinement is especially cruel for animals with such “sophisticated nervous systems and large brains” that are capable of mimicry, play, sophisticated navigation and hunting strategies, and what Jacquet calls “meaningful lives.” Aquaculture boosters “don't take into account how rich the intertidal zone is,” referring to the profusely varied habitat where common octopus species forage. Around the world, octopuses have long been objects of desire and wonder. Octopuses are delicacies and do not deserve to be the focus of intensive farming. Peter Godfrey-Smith of Sydney University, a contributor to the paper, said, “That means campaigners and activists don’t have products or outlets to target. Work into refining the viability of octopus farming continues apace. Rosas and the Yucatán government hope this experiment will seed more octopus farms, providing jobs for struggling communities and a buffer as warming reduces wild catches. A group of scientists are arguing against the development of octopus farming. Commercial-scale octopus aquaculture could save wild populations—but is not only extremely difficult, but raises major ethical concerns. We believe that octopuses are particularly ill-suited to a life in captivity and mass-pro- duction, for reasons both ethical and ecological. Inky, a common New Zealand octopus, is believed to have climbed out of his tank, fallen to the floor, and slid across the aquarium floor to a drainpipe. The amount of feed needed to sustain and grow an octpus is three times the weight of the animal itself and, given that octopuses are carnivorous and live on fish oils and protein, rearing them risks putting further pressure on an already over-exploited marine ecoystem. The case against this practice is centred on both ethical and environmental considerations. But the case for octopus farming is weak, according to Jacquet and her co-authors. There have also been advances in controlling the environments in which octopuses will be raised. Wild-caught males and females would be allowed to mate, and their fertile eggs would be grown in containers into adults to be sold to markets round the globe. At present, these farms are still at the development stage, said Peter Godfrey-Smith of Sydney University, a contributor to the paper. During the recent World Octopus Day, an article looked at how octopus farming could become a reality and detailed a study about the ethical concerns surrounding commercial farming. Samantha Andrews. Not good, a new contingent of critics contends: Octopus aquaculture will further deplete marine ecosystems and needlessly torment these most sensitive and intelligent of invertebrates. In one experiment, scientists observed octopuses building shelters from pieces of coconut shell. The intelligence of our eight-armed friends is well-documented: Octopuses have expressed a range of complex, human-like behaviors, from cunning to problem-solving to what appears to be gratitude —qualities that aren’t exactly nurtured in larger-scale farming environments. “The data is for us, the octopuses for you!” Rosas says, joking with two co-op members. “Octopuses eat fish and shellfish, and supplying enough to feed large numbers of them puts further pressure on the food chain. Now, with careful feeding and “ideal conditions,” Tur says, “we save the life of the female, which has never been documented before.” This summer they plan to try re-breeding one resuscitated female, herself captive-bred. Pulpo a la gallega may be the national dish of Spain's Galicia region, but Galicia imports 20 times as much octopus as it catches. Getting to grips with octopus farming’s ethical issues. In an essay last year, researchers including Jennifer Jacquet, assistant professor of environmental studies at New York University, and Australian philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith decried its ethical and environmental perils. Research has shown that octopus have considerable cognitive and behavioral complexity, making farming—in which they are placed in enclosed environments—acutely incompatible with their make-up. He claims a two-to-one conversion ratio. At the “Once octopuses have solved a problem, they retain long-term memory of the solution,” the researchers state in a paper in Issues in Science and Technology. It predicts a fully-farmed, market-ready octopus by 2020. The Japanese seafood company Nissui is one has reported hatching octopus eggs in captivity and has predicted it will be selling market-ready octopuses next year. But the case for octopus farming is weak, according to Jacquet and her co-authors. Big brains, complex behaviour, and precocious curiosity have made these improbable molluscs mediagenic poster creatures for animal rights and welfare—and the subject of an emerging battle over the ethics and potential environmental impacts of raising them for food. The culture, at least in Mexico, is intended to be on a family scale that allows people to improve their living standards. Fisheries Wildlife. Is farming them ethical? Octoculture advocates and opponents do agree on one thing: the remarkable capacities of these marvelous molluscs. Both highly intelligent and a culinary delicacy, the animals are at the center of a controversy that pits the conservation of wild octopuses against the ethics of mass-breeding them. SubscribePrivacy Policy(UPDATED)Terms of ServiceCookie PolicyPolicies & ProceduresContact InformationWhere to WatchConsent ManagementCookie Settings. Other companies, in Mexico and Australia, have also reported that they will be selling their own varieties in the near future. “We are all living during the rapid domestication of aquatic species and research is almost entirely around the question of which aquatic animals we can farm, rather than which animals we should farm,” said Jennifer Jaquet , lead author on a recent study … London : Researchers have said that plans to create octopus farms in coastal waters around the world are ethically inexcusable and environmentally dangerous and called on … Aquaculturists have learned that the young of some octopus species are less fussy about the food they eat and have used these species as basic stock for breeding. Octopuses are delicacies and do not deserve to be the focus of intensive farming. A group of scientists argue against ongoing efforts to farm octopuses, highlighting ethical and ecological issues in making their case. Commercial-scale octopus aquaculture could save wild populations—but is not only extremely difficult, but raises major ethical concerns. In 2019, a handful of scientists started to raise questions about the ethical and ecological issues that might come from farming these remarkably intelligent animals. There are about 300 species of octopus and many behave in surprisingly sophisticated ways. Inky was an octopus living at a New Zealand aquarium who reportedly made his dash for freedom when the lid of his enclosure was left slightly ajar one night. “Nine times out of ten we wind up convincing people not to eat octopus,” he says. Octopuses are delicacies and do not deserve to be the focus of intensive farming. Plans to create octopus farms in coastal waters round the world have been denounced by an international group of researchers. But many octopus fisheries are reported to be in decline, and fish farmers have turned to rearing of octopuses to try to replace these dwindling catches. Impressed at the results, their husbands and sons have begun joining the co-op. Octopus maya, the species he works with, is one of several that skip the paralarval stage and hatch as fully formed mini-octopuses. It “could also be the perfect stage to isolate stem cells” in order to understand, and perhaps mimic, octopuses’ ability to regenerate lost limbs. As per the most recent research has been published in the Issues in Science and Technology Journal, Researchers have remarked that plans to create 'octopus farms' in coastal waters around the globe are 'ethically inexcusable' and 'environmentally dangerous' and called on private companies, academic institutions and governments to block funding for these ventures. “We’re fine with that.”, In 2017 the Japanese fishing giant Nisui announced that it had “closed the life cycle”—raising successive cultured generations, which frees aquaculture from dependence on wild captures—and anticipated commercial production in 2020. The situation is similar for mammals with 60% of them worldwide being livestock, mostly cattle and pigs. Is farming them ethical? Octopus factory farming is ethically and ecologically unjustified,” Jacquet told the Guardian's Sunday supplement, Observer. Around the world, octopuses have long been objects of desire and wonder. The main markets for the animals – the US, Europe, Japan and China – are areas where people are already well-fed. In a damp, darkened shoreside laboratory near the Yucatán hamlet of Sisal, Carlos Rosas Vázquez lifts one of the scores of small conch shells littering a black plastic tank. But the ethical aspect remains. The main markets for the animals – the US, Europe, Japan and China – are areas where people are already well-fed. Farmed octopus, some argue, could alleviate pressures on wild populations, which are single-handedly meeting market demands. “Octopus factory farming is ethically and ecologically unjustified.” Farming octopuses is a really bad idea. It predicts a fully-farmed, market-ready octopus by 2020. Now they’re becoming an ethical flashpoint, as researchers like Rosas puzzle out ways to make commercial octopus farming feasible and, they claim, relieve growing pressure on wild populations. “Aquaculture is kind of plan B,” he says. These conscientious lab assistants, who have formed a small cooperative, remove newly laid eggs, kill and butcher the mothers, and raise the new generations for study and harvest. Today, the multinational, Galicia-based fishing and seafood firm Grupo Nueva Pescanova, building on work by the Spanish Oceanographic Institute, is doing what may be the most advanced octoculture research, though it doesn't anticipate commercial production until 2023. The situation is similar for mammals with 60% of them worldwide being livestock, mostly cattle and pigs. The ethical objections are simple – octopuses are intelligent and mysterious creatures and not enough is known about them to ensure they live a good life in captivity. Among the million tonnes of molluscs, octopus farming is an emerging issue. Since 2008, the reported annual catch of octopuses has been about 350,000 metric tons – but the actual number could be higher because catches are often underreported, particularly in artisanal fisheries. So far they haven't spoken directly with each other. “Today, I go to the sea and I get 10 or 20 kilograms of octopus,” one fisherman in nearby Portugal told a newspaper, “when in other years it was more than a hundred kilos [220 pounds].” He and his comrades urged a temporary fishery closure to help stocks recover. 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