Cephalopods are the most cognitively advanced invertebrates, now covered by EU research protections, with welfare implications for fisheries and potential aquaculture.
The inclusion of cephalopods in EU research protections acknowledges scientific consensus on their capacity for suffering. Commercial fisheries killing billions of squid and octopus lack any welfare requirements. The emergence of octopus farming proposals raises acute welfare concerns given their solitary, wide-ranging nature and high cognitive capacity.