© Nueva Pescanova
Nueva Pescanova has withdrawn its application to develop a commercial octopus farm at the Port of Las Palmas in Gran Canaria. According to La Voz Canaria, the group communicated its withdrawal for a concession at the Esfinge dock in Las Palmas via a letter to the Port Authority. Among the reasons cited by the group for this decision are the "significant extension of administrative deadlines" and uncertainty regarding the "completion of environmental and sectoral procedures."
Cadena SER, citing information released by the Port Authority, reported that the decision reflected technical, business and regulatory considerations arising from the administrative process. The company said additional requirements had substantially changed the conditions, scope, timescale and regulatory requirements of the original project.
Nueva Pescanova also said the withdrawal should not be interpreted as an assessment of the potential future viability of other technical, environmental or location-related alternatives that might be considered. The decision therefore relates specifically to the proposed Las Palmas facility.
The farm was intended to produce up to one million octopuses annually but had faced sustained opposition from animal welfare and environmental organisations, including the Aquatic Life Institute and members of the Aquatic Animal Alliance (AAA).
In 2022, more than 130 members of the AAA and prominent scientists signed a letter to the Canary Islands’ environmental agency raising concerns about the proposal. The ALI also published a report in 2023, funded by campaign organisation Avaaz, which raised concerns about potential environmental and public-health risks associated with pathogens from intensive octopus production.
Campaigning organisations welcomed the withdrawal, presenting it as a significant development in their efforts to prevent commercial octopus farming.
"Nueva Pescanova's decision to abandon the pursuit of the Las Palmas commercial octopus farming project is a watershed moment in the global effort to ensure this practice, which has negative implications for animal welfare, the environment, and public health, is never established," said Tessa Gonzalez, director of research and impact at ALI, in a press release.
The Port Authority of Las Palmas will now archive the concession file opened in May 2021, bringing the proposed project to an end.
