Farming, School of Thought Kristin Andrews Farming, School of Thought Kristin Andrews

The hidden world of octopus cities and culture shows why it’s wrong to farm them

Did you know that octopuses build cities and form cultures? Following on with our coverage of World Aquatic Animal Day, we’re drawing attention to a fascinating article by Kristin Andrews, a professor of Philosophy at York University, Canada, whose research into subaquatic suburbias demonstrates the hidden sentience of octopuses.

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School of Thought, Picture stories Andrew Gough School of Thought, Picture stories Andrew Gough

PICTURES: Giant trawler sheds 100,000 dead fish off the coast of France, Sea Shepherd captures shocking images

THE STORY IN PICTURES: The world’s second-biggest fishing vessel, Dutch-owned trawler FV Margiris, dumped more than 100,000 dead fish into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of France on Thursday. Yet it is quite literally a drop in the ocean when compared to the scale of death, suffering and devastation inflicted by the world’s fishing industries. Marine conservation activists from Sea Shepherd were there to capture the shocking images.

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Animal welfare, School of Thought Abigail Penny Animal welfare, School of Thought Abigail Penny

Aquatic animal experts join Animal Equality in calling for CCTV in farmed fish slaughterhouses

GUEST ARTICLE: With millions of salmon and other marine species farmed and slaughtered every year in the UK and with relatively few protections as revealed by recent ground-breaking investigations, Abigail Penny, executive director of Animal Equality UK, talks us through their latest campaign to keep a closer eye on the industry.

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School of Thought, Animal welfare Andrew Gough School of Thought, Animal welfare Andrew Gough

UK declares shellfish sentient but with “no direct impact” on industry, says animal welfare minister

The UK’s new Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill formally recognises marine invertebrates, including crabs and lobsters, as sentient and with the capacity to feel pain, joy and comfort. While that is excellent news, sadly ministers predict it will have no bearing on the fishing industry as it is now.

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School of Thought Claire Hamlett School of Thought Claire Hamlett

Is the travel industry finally waking up to the cruel treatment of marine mammals?

Online travel company Expedia has stopped selling holidays that include performances from captive whales or dolphins. Campaign groups such as World Animal Protection have been calling for travel firms to stop selling captive marine mammal experiences as part of holiday packages for years and hope that other travel firms including TUI, Jet2holidays and Travel Republic will now follow suit.

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