「タコ養殖場建設計画」にスペインの活動家が抗議 Asahi Weeklyより

スペイン農業食料環境省の前で、タコ養殖場建設に抗議するデモ参加者たち
＝５月21日、マドリード、AP

　食材としてのタコの需要が世界的に高まるなか、スペインのカナリア諸島にタコ養殖場を建設する計画が立案されています。タコは単独で行動することで知られているため、動物の福祉を唱える活動家からは「トラをおりの中で多頭飼育するようなものだ」と抗議の声が上がっています。（Asahi Weekly : Sunday, June 4, 2023)

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　MADRID (AP) — Animal rights activists gathered May 21 in Madrid to protest plans for the construction of an octopus farm in Spain, saying there are no respective laws in the country and the European Union to guarantee the welfare of the creatures in captivity.

　The proposed farm, which aims to breed octopuses on a large scale in captivity, is scheduled to be built next year in the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago located in the Atlantic Ocean.

　A few dozen people showed up to express their concerns regarding a project that plans to confine 3 million octopuses in pools, despite these creatures being solitary predators in their natural habitat.

　"It is similar to imprisoning tigers together. They will prey on one another and will also attempt to escape due to their high intelligence and adeptness," said Jaime Posada, a spokesperson for the protest called by various animal welfare organizations.

　Octopuses grown in captivity will behave differently from those in the wild, said Nova Pescanova, the seafood company promoting this farm. Since 2018, the company has run a pilot project in a research facility in northern Spain, where they have succeeded in breeding five captivity-born generations of the cephalopod.

　Since the demand for octopus consumption has been on the rise, farming octopuses is being regarded as a first step toward ensuring sustainable food production.

　Recently, global demand for this delicacy has expanded, with countries like the United States witnessing a 23 percent increase in imports and China experiencing a 73 percent surge between 2016 and 2018, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.

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