In O Carballino, a Spanish<\/a> town proudly dubbed the ‘octopus capital’, a curious paradox unfolds. <\/p>\n Despite its towering bronze octopus statue, streets lined with traditional ‘pulperias’, and an annual festival drawing thousands, the century-old octopus factory at its heart hasn’t sourced a single animal from local waters in a decade.<\/p>\n Inside the humming factory, workers prepare dozens of octopuses<\/a> for vacuum-sealed bags, destined for restaurants and retailers across Europe, Asia<\/a>, and the United States<\/a>. <\/p>\n This thriving global appetite, however, contrasts sharply with the mollusc’s increasing scarcity in its native waters.<\/p>\n Carlos Arcos, export manager of Frigorificos Arcos SL, explains the challenge: “Here in Galicia<\/a>, octopus has become really, really variable and scarce.” <\/p>\n He adds, “If you\u2019re industrialising a process like we do, you need to guarantee your customers regularity of supply.” This necessity has led to a complete shift in sourcing, with 100 per cent of the company\u2019s octopus now imported from Mauritania<\/a> and Morocco<\/a>.<\/p>\n While octopus numbers fluctuate naturally from year to year, scientists and fishers say Spain<\/a>\u2019s long-term trend is downward and surging international demand is only tightening the squeeze. <\/p>\n That\u2019s prompted some companies to explore farming the animals in tanks to ensure a long-term supply \u2014 a prospect that\u2019s drawn pushback from animal welfare groups.<\/p>\n Pressure forces closure of Spain’s octopus fishery<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n While octopus numbers fluctuate naturally from year to year, scientists and fishers say Spain \u2019s long-term trend is downward and surging international demand is only tightening the squeeze. (AP)<\/p>\n This summer, that pressure reached a breaking point. Spain<\/a>\u2019s octopus fishery closed for three months \u2014 an unusually long pause meant to give it time to recover.<\/p>\n \u201cThe population has only just come back, but once the season opens, we\u2019ll destroy it all in two weeks,\u201d said Juan Mart\u00ednez, a fisherman of more than four decades. <\/p>\n Beside him, hundreds of octopus traps sat idle, stacked along the dock in his home port of Cangas. \u201cThis used to be a sustainable industry, but now we\u2019ve broken an entire ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n Octopus populations in Galicia<\/a> also depend heavily on nutrient-rich upwelling \u2014 deep ocean water rising to the surface and bringing food for octopuses<\/a> \u2014 said \u00c1ngel Gonz\u00e1lez, a research professor at the Spanish<\/a> National Research Council. <\/p>\n While upwelling naturally fluctuates, climate change is altering wind patterns, ocean stratification and nutrient delivery, making those cycles less predictable and, in some years, less productive. \u201cWhen that weakens due to changing oceanographic and atmospheric conditions, numbers drop regardless of fishing.\u201d <\/p>\n In response to growing demand and shrinking wild stocks, some companies in Spain are attempting to farm octopus in captivity \u2014 a move they say could ease pressure on the oceans. <\/p>\n Grupo Profand is developing a research hatchery in Galicia<\/a> focused on overcoming the biological challenges of breeding octopus. Meanwhile, seafood giant Nueva Pescanova is pursuing a full-scale industrial farm that would raise up to a million octopuses<\/a> a year for slaughter.<\/p>\n Grupo Profand did not respond to an interview request. A spokesperson for Nueva Pescanova declined to comment.<\/p>\n Animal welfare groups say octopus shouldn’t be farmed <\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n An octopus is thrown into a vat at Frigorificos Arcos SL in O Carballino, also know as Spain\u2019s octopus capital (AP)<\/p>\n Animal welfare groups have condemned the proposed project as inhumane, citing plans to kill octopuses by submerging them in ice slurry and to confine the often-cannibalistic animals at high densities. <\/p>\n They also warn it would pollute nearby waters with discharged waste, worsen overfishing of wild fish used for feed and inflict suffering on one of the ocean\u2019s most complex creatures.<\/p>\n \u201cFarming wild animals is cruel, but especially with octopuses given their solitary nature and extremely high intelligence,\u201d said Helena Constela, head of communications at Seaspiracy, a group that advocates against industrial fishing. Keeping them confined together in tanks, she said, is \u201cbasically torture in slow motion.\u201d<\/p>\n Michael Sealey, senior policy advisor at Oceana Europe, said aquaculture should focus on species with lower environmental costs, such as oysters and mussels, which require no fish feed. \u201cWe recognise that aquaculture has a role to play in feeding the world,\u201d said Michael Sealey, senior policy advisor at Oceana Europe. <\/p>\n \u201cBut we need to prioritise low-impact farming \u2014 not systems that rely on feeding wild fish to carnivorous species.\u201d <\/p>\n Widespread concerns have already prompted action in the United States<\/a>. Washington<\/a> became the first state to ban octopus farming in 2024, followed by California<\/a>, which also outlawed the sale of farmed octopus. <\/p>\n Lawmakers in more than half a dozen other states have proposed similar bans, and a bipartisan federal bill to prohibit both farming and imports of farmed octopus is under consideration in Congress<\/a>.<\/p>\n Though no commercial farms currently operate in the U.S., these preemptive measures reflect mounting unease over projects moving ahead in Europe, Asia<\/a> and parts of Central and South America<\/a> \u2014 unease fueled in part by the 2020 Oscar<\/a>-winning documentary \u201cMy Octopus Teacher,\u201d which showcased the animals’ intelligence and emotional complexity to millions on Netflix<\/a>.<\/p>\n The arguments in favor of farming<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Diners snack on octopus, which is a popular dish at Casa Gazpara (AP)<\/p>\n \u201cThey have a real brain. They\u2019re able to do things other animals cannot,\u201d said Gonz\u00e1lez of the Spanish National Research Council. <\/p>\n \u201cBut please \u2014 don\u2019t cross the line. It\u2019s an animal, it\u2019s an invertebrate. We can\u2019t extrapolate these kinds of things. Personality<\/a> is linked to persons.\u201d<\/p>\n Gonz\u00e1lez, who is working with Grupo Profand on their research hatchery, believes farming could help restore wild stocks by raising juvenile octopuses in captivity for release back into the sea \u2014 an approach animal welfare groups argue could pave the way for industrial-scale farming. <\/p>\n Javier Ojeda, national aquaculture representative at APROMAR, Spain\u2019s aquaculture business association, said aquatic animals can play a key role in food security and may be more efficient to raise than livestock. <\/p>\n![\"While](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Climate_Spain_Overfishing_Octopus_19488.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Climate_Spain_Overfishing_Octopus_79421.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Diners](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Climate_Spain_Overfishing_Octopus_59525.jpg\")
<\/p>\n