Query about Octopuses?

Went to the Aquarium on Pier 39 in San Francisco. A fisherman had caught 3 octopuses (or octopi) two female, one male, and generally fishermen eat the ones they catch, but this was a nice guy. In nature being shy creatures, most do not procreate, but when they do, the female stays with the young and starves to death protecting them. At the Aquarium the tour guide said the reason the male was in a small tank while the females were in the general aquarium was to protect them from getting pregnant, "as they would die". My thought was if they were in a protected area, could not the pregnant female be fed by workers and thus survive?

(the idea about overpopulation came to mind tho' one would think the young could be set free) Better to keep the male confined or would the idea of feeding the "mom" octopus be workable?

I'm aware allowing procreation would create more work for folks at the Aquarium, but the above idea came to me after visiting the Aquarium. Just a thought