# Nueva Pescanova octopus farm cancellation > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/nueva-pescanova-octopus-farm-cancellation > Updated: 2026-08-04T10:30:50.000Z. Sources: 25. Developments: 5. In late July 2026, Spanish seafood group Nueva Pescanova withdrew its application to build the world’s first commercial octopus farm in the Las Palmas port of the Canary Islands. The €50‑65 million project would have produced up to one million octopuses a year, requiring roughly 2 billion fish for feed and targeting about 3,000 tonnes of octopus annually. A multi‑year campaign by animal‑welfare groups such as Compassion in World Farming, PETA and supporters of the documentary “My Octopus Teacher” generated thousands of emails and global protests, highlighting octopus intelligence, pain perception and welfare concerns. Heightened regulatory scrutiny, including a new full environmental impact assessment demanded by the Regional Environmental Assessment Commission, and a five‑year legal dispute with port authorities added commercial pressure. The Las Palmas port authority confirmed the formal abandonment on 23 July, and the company cited “commercial and regulatory considerations”. On 4 August, Nueva Pescanova reiterated that administrative delays and regulatory hurdles led to the cancellation; animal‑rights groups including In Defense of Animals welcomed the decision, noting the farm would have housed octopuses in large communal tanks and required about 28,000 tonnes of wild‑caught fish. The cancellation was hailed as a victory for marine wildlife protection, though the firm has not ruled out pursuing similar projects elsewhere. ## Claims - Nueva Pescanova withdrew a €65 million plan for an octopus farm. (corroborated by 2 sources) - The farm was to be located in the Canary Islands, Spain. (corroborated by 2 sources) - The decision was justified by business and regulatory issues. (corroborated by 2 sources) - The farm would have produced 3,000 tonnes of octopus per year. (corroborated by 2 sources) - Octopuses would be killed by rapid freezing at –3 °C. (corroborated by 2 sources) - Global animal‑welfare protests influenced the cancellation. (corroborated by 2 sources) - The global octopus market value grew from $1.3 billion to $2.7 billion between 2010 and 2019. (corroborated by 2 sources) - Washington and California have banned octopus farming. (corroborated by 2 sources) ## Timeline ### 2026-08-04: Nueva Pescanova abandons plan for world's first octopus farm after ethical backlash Spanish seafood firm Nueva Pescanova has scrapped its plan for the world’s first octopus farm in Gran Canaria after animal‑welfare protests and new environmental regulations. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/nueva-pescanova-abandons-plan-for-worlds-first-octopus-farm-after-ethical-backlash ### 2026-08-01: Spain abandons plan for world’s first commercial octopus farm Nueva Pescanova scrapped its €65 million plan for a Canary Islands octopus farm after regulatory issues and worldwide animal‑welfare protests. The farm would have produced 3,000 tonnes annually, killing octopes 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/spain-abandons-worlds-first-commercial-octopus-farm-project ### 2026-07-28: Nueva Pescanova cancels world’s first commercial octopus farm project Nueva Pescanova has withdrawn its request to build a €65 million commercial octopus farm in Las Palmas, citing regulatory hurdles and animal‑welfare concerns, ending the planned project that would have created 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/nueva-pescanova-cancels-worlds-first-commercial-octopus-farm-project ### 2026-07-26: Nueva Pescanova abandons first commercial octopus farm project in Canary Islands Nueva Pescanova has scrapped its €50 million plan for the first commercial octopus farm in Las Palmas, citing economic and licensing hurdles; animal‑rights groups praised the move. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/nueva-pescanova-abandons-first-commercial-octopus-farm-project-in-canary-islands ### 2026-07-23: Nueva Pescanova Cancels World's First Octopus Farm Project in Spain Nueva Pescanova has abandoned plans for the world’s first commercial octopus farm in Las Palmas, Spain, after animal‑rights campaigns and regulatory setbacks halted the €50 m project. 12 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/nueva-pescanova-withdraws-octopus-farm-project-in-las-palmas --- Cite as: Nueva Pescanova octopus farm cancellation. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/nueva-pescanova-octopus-farm-cancellation