A company in the Canary Islands is proposing to do something that has not been done before - farming of octopus on a very large scale. There has been some protest, but the company has put out a statement defending its decision: They say that by creating optimal conditions that cater for space, temperature, water quality, food, and an absence of predators, the animals normally adapt to group environments without territorial aggression. But those arguments overlook that we should not kill them in the first place, and we only do so out of historic necessity and cultural norms. As we are not going to change cultural norms any time soon, the next best thing to not eating them, is not farming them. Octopuses are are surprisingly sentient and intelligent beings - as made clear in the recent movie 'My Teacher the Octopus'. they are solitary by nature and are entitled to a life at sea on their own terms. Squid are a bit similar. They do live in groups, but it is not for humans to say they are less intelligent than octopuses. We know squid are problem solvers and very social animals, too, and, while we will no doubt continue to eat squid, we should not farm them, either. Given the popularity of calamari, and given they are not farmed much anyway, that might be an idea for another day. But for now: This idea is to vote to support a total ban on farming octopuses.