Today, we welcomed the news that Nueva Pescanova finally abandoned plans to build the world's first octopus farm in Gran Canaria.

It's come after five years of tireless campaigning, including a recent push which resulted in more than 43,000 emails to Las Palmas Port Authorities, calling on them to officially close the planning application.

It's a huge victory for our campaign and everyone who supported it including scientists, NGOs, supporters and allies across the world.

Cruel and unsustainable plans

The Spanish seafood company had proposed building the farm in the Port of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. Its facility would have confined around one million octopuses every year in barren tanks, despite clear evidence that these amazing, intelligent, solitary animals cannot be farmed – or slaughtered – humanely.

What’s more, our research found that Nueva Pescanova’s farm would have been devastating for the environment, food security, and biodiversity.

As well as causing local pollution, it would have required around 28,000 tons of wild-caught fish in its first year, to produce just 3,000 tons of octopus meat.

This would have increased pressure on already overfished oceans, harming marine ecosystems, and the vulnerable coastal communities who depend on these fish for food.

A relentless campaign

Today's announcement marks the victory of our five-year campaign to stop the controversial project.

Over that time, we exposed the animal welfare and environmental risks of octopus farming, mobilized NGOs and experts from around the world, and rallied public opposition to the plans.

“A powerful message”

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 or unsustainable practices.

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

The fight isn't over

While this victory shows that public pressure works, the threat of octopus farming has not disappeared completely. We will continue campaigning for governments in Spain, the Canary Islands, the EU, the United States and beyond to ban octopus farming and prevent the expansion of harmful carnivorous aquaculture.

Contact your legislators now and ask them to support the OCTOPUS Act.

Plans for world’s first octopus farm abandoned