World's first octopus farm stirs ethical debate; Reuters, February 23, 2022

Nathan Allen and Guillermo Martinez , Reuters; World's first octopus farm stirs ethical debate

"Since the 2020 documentary "My Octopus Teacher" captured the public imagination with its tale of a filmmaker's friendship with an octopus, concern for their wellbeing has grown.

Last year, researchers at the London School of Economics concluded from a review of 300 scientific studies that octopus were sentient beings capable of experiencing distress and happiness, and that high-welfare farming would be impossible.

Raul Garcia, who heads the WWF conservation organisation's fisheries operations in Spain, agrees.

"Octopuses are extremely intelligent and extremely curious. And it's well known they are not happy in conditions of captivity," he told Reuters."