‘A symbol of what humans shouldn’t be doing’: the new world of octopus farming

Plans for the world's first commercial octopus farm are well advanced - just as science discovers more about this curious, intelligent and affectionate animal. Can it be done ethically?

The sterile boardroom, much of it taken up by a lengthy white table, is at the heart of the sprawling building in northern Spain. The corporate chatter that fills this room these days, however, is dominated by the scene playing out one floor below, where about 50 adult male octopuses are in a tank the size of a budget hotel room.

A handful of the octopuses - the fifth generation to be born in this Spanish multinational's concrete-and-glass office and research centre - skim through the shallow waters, some brushing up against each other while others tuck into the tank's barren corners. A low-intensity light casts a pale glow as researchers lay the groundwork for one of the world's most controversial endeavours: the first commercial octopus farm.