@AGROBiz September/October 2025 | Page 11

September-October. 2025 | @ AGROBiz

“ Local environment has been adversely affected by the export-oriented mass aquaculture industry,” warned SM Mohamed Idris, late president of Sahabat Alam Malaysia( SAM), as early as 2017.“ They impact coastal ecosystems, affecting those dependent on the natural environment, especially fishermen.”

That warning now feels prophetic. Any large-scale farming of carnivorous species like octopus would intensify competition for wild fish and aggravate coastal stress.

CLIMATE PRESSURE ON FISHERIES

The nation’ s marine challenges are mounting as climate impacts grow stronger.

The Department of Fisheries( DOF) recently explained that“ weather changes such as high winds, heavy rains, high waves or changes in water temperature can affect the behaviour of the fish … This makes it more difficult to catch them as they are likely to move to deeper or more sheltered waters”.

At the same time, Dr Wan Mohd Syazwan of Universiti Putra Malaysia noted that corals— critical habitats for demersal species— are suffering under heat stress.

“ The corals, which are a habitat for these fish, are also affected by climate change. Demersal fish are less resilient to unfavourable environments,” he said to channelnewsasia. com.

If Malaysia’ s native fisheries are already vulnerable to temperature and habitat shifts, introducing a high-input, feed-dependent aquaculture species would compound the risk, not mitigate it.

WELFARE AND ETHICS

Beyond sustainability lies another question: morality. Octopuses are among the most intelligent invertebrates ever studied— capable of learning, problem-solving, and even showing distinct personalities.

According to sentientmedia. org, Dr Jennifer Jacquet, a prominent critic and co-author of The Case Against Octopus Farming in Issues in Science and Technology, asks:“ We really do have to ask ourselves why we would do this in the 21st century to an animal that the world is in love with … and then in the same breath, announcing that we’ re going to put [ the octopus ] into mass production. … I am just baffled at how this is possible.”

Her co-authors— including philosopher Dr Peter Godfrey-Smith, known for Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness— conclude that octopuses are“ particularly illsuited to a life in captivity and mass production, for reasons both ethical and ecological.”

These aren’ t abstract concerns. Octopuses are solitary and territorial; in confinement, they often turn aggressive or cannibalistic. Compassion in World Farming notes that current farming plans propose using ice-slurry immersion to kill them— a method deemed inhumane by welfare experts.

If Malaysia were to champion the Blue Economy’ s ethical foundations, embracing such practices would contradict its own Animal Welfare Act 2015 and undermine its international image.

ECOLOGICAL SPILLOVERS

Malaysia’ s aquaculture history already offers warnings. In the 1990s and early 2000s, shrimp farming expanded rapidly along coastal belts, bringing short-term export gains but long-term environmental costs— mangrove loss, effluent pollution, and disease outbreaks.

Without rigorous safeguards, octopus farms could repeat those mistakes. Waste discharge could trigger eutrophication, while pathogens might spread to wild cephalopods. And unlike shrimp, octopuses have never been domesticated at scale, meaning the ecological and behavioural risks remain largely uncharted.

“ The more we industrialise the ocean, the more we risk undermining its natural resilience,” said Prof Aileen Tan, Director of the Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, in WorldFish.

“ We should prioritise lowtrophic, regenerative systems that work with the ocean’ s rhythms rather than against them.”

GLOBAL BACKLASH

“ Octopus farming is a dead end masquerading as a solution.”— Giulia Malerbi, Mongabay Commentary, 2025

“ We really do have to ask ourselves why we would do this in the 21st century … to an animal that the world is in love with.”— Dr Jennifer Jacquet, Sentient Media Podcast

“ Local environment has been adversely affected by the export-oriented mass aquaculture industry.”

— SM Mohamed Idris, Sahabat Alam Malaysia

“ Aquaculture holds great potential … but only if smallholders adopt sustainable practices.”— Dr Cristiano Rossignoli, WorldFish Centre

“ The corals, which are a habitat for these fish, are also affected by climate change.”— Dr Wan Mohd Syazwan, Universiti Putra Malaysia

“ We should prioritise low-trophic, regenerative systems that work with the ocean’ s rhythms rather than against them.”— Prof. Aileen Tan, Universiti Sains Malaysia

Several governments are beginning to act. In 2024, the U. S. state of Washington banned commercial octopus farming, citing welfare and environmental concerns. California followed with the OCTO Act, which prohibits both farming and the sale of farmed octopus.

These developments reflect a growing recognition that not all aquaculture is equal— and that ethical lines must sometimes precede technological ambition.

For Malaysia, which aspires to lead Southeast Asia in sustainable ocean management, aligning with such caution would reinforce its reputation rather than diminish it.

A BETTER COURSE

Malaysia can lead the region through regenerative alternatives already aligned with the National Agrofood Policy 2.0 and Low Carbon Nation Aspiration 2040:

• Seaweed and mussel farming, which absorb carbon and require no feed.

• Integrated multitrophic aquaculture( IMTA) systems that recycle nutrients between species.

• Community-based marine protected areas, giving fishers a stake in ecosystem recovery.

• Feed innovation— using insect or algal protein to reduce fishmeal dependence.

These approaches strengthen both livelihoods and ecological resilience— the true intent of the Blue Economy.

THE MORAL TIDE

Octopus farming may glitter with novelty, but it stands on shaky moral and ecological ground. For a country like Malaysia, whose coasts are both a breadbasket and a biodiversity hotspot, it is not just an economic choice but an ethical one.

As Malerbi reminds us,“ the global community must resist the temptation to exploit another wild species under the guise of sustainability.”

In an era of climate uncertainty and biodiversity loss, Malaysia’ s leadership will be measured not by how many new industries it creates at sea— but by how wisely it protects the ocean that feeds its people.- @ AGROBiz