Spain is turning to farms and foreign fisheries to meet the demand for octopus as local stocks dwindle. In O Carballino, a town that bills itself as Spain’s octopus capital, a factory processes octopus sourced entirely from Mauritania and Morocco. This shift comes as Spain’s octopus population faces a decline due to overfishing and environmental changes. Some companies are exploring octopus farming, but that has sparked animal welfare concerns. Critics argue that farming intelligent, solitary creatures is inhumane. The controversy has spurred pushback, with some U.S. states moving to ban octopus farming preemptively.
As octopuses dwindle in Spanish waters, suppliers look to imports and farming despite concerns
