Cephalopod molluscs have complex nervous systems, show remarkable learning and problem-solving abilities, and are now recognised as sentient under UK law. Their welfare in fisheries, research and potential farming contexts deserves serious attention.
Cephalopod welfare is an emerging field driven by a rapidly accumulating evidence base demonstrating cognitive complexity that was profoundly underestimated until recently. Octopuses that learn by observation, engage in play, show individual personality differences and demonstrate delayed gratification are not candidates for dismissal as simple molluscs. Their welfare in capture fisheries (where they may be transported live, stored in inadequate conditions and killed without consideration), in research (now regulated in UK and EU but not globally) and in potential future farming contexts deserves systematic attention proportionate to their cognitive complexity.