Commercial octopus farming is being developed by several companies globally, raising serious welfare concerns given octopus intelligence and complex behavioural needs.
The prospect of commercial octopus farming raises welfare concerns that are more acute than for most farmed invertebrates, given the substantial evidence for octopus intelligence and complex cognitive and social behaviour. Octopuses are naturally solitary and territorial, meaning high-density farming systems would create chronic stress from proximity to conspecifics. Their intelligence means boredom and frustration in barren environments may cause significant suffering. The development of welfare standards adequate for octopus farming must precede rather than follow commercial scale-up, and the precautionary principle suggests extreme caution is warranted given current knowledge gaps.