LA fires: Long-term exposure to wildfire smoke is poorly understood − and a growing risk 
We combed through old botanical surveys to track how plants on Australia’s islands are changing 
Ukraine minerals deal: the idea that natural resource extraction can build peace has been around for decades 
U.S.-India Trade Framework Signals Major Shift in Tariffs, Energy, and Supply Chains 
FDA Adds Fatal Risk Warning to J&J and Legend Biotech’s Carvykti Cancer Therapy 
Tabletop particle accelerator could transform medicine and materials science 
NASA and Roscosmos Chiefs Meet in Florida to Discuss Moon and ISS Cooperation 
Global Markets Slide as AI, Crypto, and Precious Metals Face Heightened Volatility 
Lake beds are rich environmental records — studying them reveals much about a place’s history 
Fungi are among the planet’s most important organisms — yet they continue to be overlooked in conservation strategies 
Asian Stocks Slip as Tech Rout Deepens, Japan Steadies Ahead of Election 
Instagram Outage Disrupts Thousands of U.S. Users 
Burkina Faso and Mali’s fabulous flora: new plant life record released 
Amazon Stock Rebounds After Earnings as $200B Capex Plan Sparks AI Spending Debate 
Scientists and environmentalists have expressed deep concern over a plan to build the world’s first octopus farm in the Canary Islands, as it is detrimental to the welfare of the creatures renowned for their intelligence and solitary lives.
Nueva Pescanova, a Spanish multinational firm specializing in the capture, cultivation, production, and marketing of seafood, sent planning proposal documents to the Canary Islands’ General Directorate of Fishing.
Belgium-based animal protection lobby, Eurogroup for Animals (EFA), obtained the documents, which state that once fully operational, the proposed farm would produce around 3,000 tons of octopus annually. It is equivalent to approximately 1 million octopuses or three times the number currently caught in the wild by Spanish fisheries.
Nueva Pescanova plans to keep 10 to 15 octopuses per cubic meter in tanks. There will be around 1,000 communal tanks in a two-story building in the port of Las Palmas in Gran Canaria.
To hasten the reproductive process, they will subject the octopuses to 24-hour light exposure. These lonely, inquisitive, and light-averse animals should not be kept in the conditions specified.
Due to octopuses' innate need for solitude, the EFA claims that keeping them in communal tanks will be bad for their well-being and increase the danger of aggressiveness, territorialism, and cannibalism.
Nonetheless, Nueva Pescanova asserts that the species has been domesticated to a certain extent and that there are no significant indicators of cannibalism or rivalry for food.
According to Nueva Pescanova, population density research has "demonstrated how octopuses naturally adapt to group living conditions without conflict owing to territoriality."
Nueva Pescanova would kill the octopuses by immersing them in an "ice slurry," which involves submersion in a solution of water and ice, where they would be left to perish from a lack of oxygen.
The UK organization Humane Slaughter Association also classifies death by ice slurry as an inappropriate type of killing, and EFA calls it "a highly..inhumane procedure is scientifically shown to cause severe pain, anxiety, and suffering as well as a delayed death."
Octopus cultivation, according to proponents like Nueva Pescanova, offers a sustainable way to produce it for consumption and would ease the strain on wild populations.
A spokesperson for the company said that farming these creatures is necessary “to protect a species of great environmental and human value”.
