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BY ADELINE ANTHONY ALPHONSO
WHEN Spain’ s N u e v a Pescanova announced plans to establish the world’ s first commercial octopus farm, the news stirred global controversy. To some, it was an innovation in seafood production; to others, it represented a dangerous precedent— an ethical and ecological misstep that could undo decades of marine conservation progress. Malaysia, a maritime nation whose prosperity and food security are tied to the sea, should pay close attention. As the government pursues a Blue Economy Framework to
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integrate conservation and sustainable growth, proposals like octopus farming offer a stark reminder that not every new idea belongs beneath the waves.
A DEAD END
Giulia Malerbi, in her Mongabay commentary, put it bluntly:“ Octopus farming is a dead-end masquerading as a solution. It does not address the root causes of wild population declines— it compounds them. The global community must resist the temptation to exploit another wild species under the guise of sustainability.”
The problem, she argued, is biological and systemic. Octopuses are obligate carnivores, meaning they must consume other marine
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animals. To farm them, operators would need enormous volumes of wild-caught fish and crustaceans, creating a paradox: farming octopus to“ save” wild stocks would consume them.
MALAYSIA’ S MARINE EQUATION
Malaysia’ s 4,800-kilometre coastline supports mangroves, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs— ecosystems that sustain the livelihoods of more than half a million coastal fishers. But those systems are already under strain.
A recent WorldFish report noted that Malaysia’ s wild fish catch is stagnating, even as aquaculture surges to fill the gap.
“ Aquaculture in Malaysia still
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faces key sustainability challenges,” said Dr Cristiano Rossignoli, one of the report’ s authors.“ However, it holds great potential to meet the growing demand for aquatic foods, especially as wild fisheries stagnate. To unlock this potential, smallholders must be supported to adopt sustainable practices.”
In other words, aquaculture can be part of Malaysia’ s solution— but only when it aligns with environmental limits. Octopus farming, with its heavy feed demands and ethical controversies, sits on the opposite end of that spectrum.
THE FEED DILEMMA
Farming octopus requires up to three kilograms of wild fish for every kilogram of octopus meat
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