Spain's Octopus Hub Struggles as Imports Rise Amid Decline

The Octopus Capital's Dilemma

In the small Spanish town of O Carballino, known as the "octopus capital," a fascinating contradiction exists. The town is home to a towering bronze octopus statue, streets lined with traditional pulperias (fish markets), and an annual festival that attracts thousands. Yet, despite its deep connection to the creature, the century-old octopus factory at the heart of the town has not sourced any octopuses from local waters in over a decade.

Inside the bustling factory, workers prepare dozens of octopuses for vacuum-sealed bags, which are then shipped to restaurants and retailers across Europe, Asia, and the United States. This thriving global demand stands in stark contrast to the declining presence of octopuses in their native waters. Carlos Arcos, export manager of Frigorificos Arcos SL, explains the challenge: “Here in Galicia, octopus has become really, really variable and scarce.” He adds, “If you’re industrializing 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% of the company’s octopus now imported from Mauritania and Morocco.

While octopus numbers naturally fluctuate from year to year, scientists and fishers note a long-term downward trend in Spain. Surging international demand is only exacerbating this issue. As a result, some companies are exploring the possibility of farming octopuses in tanks to ensure a stable supply — a prospect that has drawn criticism from animal welfare groups.

Pressure Forces Closure of Spain's Octopus Fishery

This summer, the pressure on the industry reached a breaking point. Spain’s octopus fishery was closed for three months — an unusually long pause intended to allow the population to recover. “The population has only just come back, but once the season opens, we’ll destroy it all in two weeks,” said Juan Martínez, a fisherman with over four decades of experience. Beside him, hundreds of octopus traps sat idle, stacked along the dock in his home port of Cangas. “This used to be a sustainable industry, but now we’ve broken an entire ecosystem.”

Octopus populations in Galicia also depend heavily on nutrient-rich upwelling — deep ocean water rising to the surface and bringing food for octopuses. Ángel González, a research professor at the Spanish National Research Council, notes that while upwelling naturally fluctuates, climate change is altering wind patterns, ocean stratification, and nutrient delivery, making these cycles less predictable and, in some years, less productive. “When that weakens due to changing oceanographic and atmospheric conditions, numbers drop regardless of fishing.”

Farming Octopus: A Controversial Solution

In response to growing demand and shrinking wild stocks, some companies in Spain are attempting to farm octopuses in captivity — a move they say could ease pressure on the oceans. Grupo Profand is developing a research hatchery in Galicia focused on overcoming the biological challenges of breeding octopuses. Meanwhile, seafood giant Nueva Pescanova is pursuing a full-scale industrial farm that would raise up to a million octopuses a year for slaughter.

Animal welfare groups have condemned the proposed projects as inhumane, citing plans to kill octopuses by submerging them in ice slurry and to confine the often-cannibalistic animals at high densities. 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’s most complex creatures.

Helena Constela, head of communications at Seaspiracy, argues that farming octopuses is particularly cruel given their solitary nature and high intelligence. “Keeping them confined together in tanks is basically torture in slow motion.” Michael Sealey, senior policy advisor at Oceana Europe, suggests that aquaculture should focus on species with lower environmental costs, such as oysters and mussels, which require no fish feed.

Widespread Concerns and Legislative Action

Widespread concerns have already prompted action in the United States. Washington became the first state to ban octopus farming in 2024, followed by California, which also outlawed the sale of farmed octopus. 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.

Though no commercial farms currently operate in the U.S., these preemptive measures reflect mounting unease over projects moving ahead in Europe, Asia, and parts of Central and South America — unease fueled in part by the 2020 Oscar-winning documentary “My Octopus Teacher,” which showcased the animals’ intelligence and emotional complexity to millions on Netflix.

Arguments in Favor of Farming

Despite the controversy, some argue that farming octopuses could help restore wild stocks by raising juvenile octopuses in captivity for release back into the sea. González of the Spanish National Research Council believes that while octopuses have a real brain and can perform tasks other animals cannot, they are still invertebrates and should not be treated as persons. “Personality is linked to persons,” he said.

Javier Ojeda, national aquaculture representative at APROMAR, Spain’s aquaculture business association, believes aquatic animals can play a key role in food security and may be more efficient to raise than livestock. “Octopuses grow extremely fast and efficiently — they’re not fighting gravity and they don’t spend energy heating their bodies,” he said. He acknowledged welfare concerns but argued they should not block scientific progress. “Farming octopus is something that cannot be stopped,” said Ojeda. “We’ve been eating them for a long time. Now we need to try to find best practices.”