Commercial octopus farming is under development by several companies, raising serious welfare concerns about farming an animal with exceptional cognitive capabilities and welfare needs.
Octopus farming raises some of the most challenging welfare questions in the emerging aquaculture sector. These animals have demonstrated problem-solving abilities, emotional states, and individual personalities that place them firmly in the category of sentient beings with welfare interests. Farmed octopuses would be housed in conditions fundamentally incompatible with their natural solitary, exploratory, territorial behaviour. Cannibalism in group settings is a serious welfare and production challenge. The scientific community has broadly stated that satisfactory welfare conditions for farmed octopuses cannot currently be achieved. The precautionary principle argues strongly against developing octopus farming until the welfare challenges are resolved — which may be impossible in any commercially viable system.