Move to Ban Octopus Farming Gains Momentum

In July, senators from the nation’s largest and smallest states introduced legislation to ban commercial octopus farming in the US and prohibit the import of farmed octopus from elsewhere.

Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski are sponsoring the Opposing the Cultivation and Trade of Octopus Produced through Unethical Strategies Act. (It’s probably easier to stick with the acronym: OCTOPUS.)

“Octopuses are among the most intelligent creatures in the oceans,” Whitehouse said when introducing the legislation. “And they belong at sea, not suffering on a factory farm. My bipartisan bill with Senator Murkowski would preemptively prevent US companies from participating in this brutal practice before it takes root.”

Similar legislation has already become law in Washington state and has been introduced in Hawaii and California. “Farming them is not only inhumane but poses significant environmental risks,” California state assemblymember and bill co-sponsor Laura Friedman said last month.

“Rather than turning to unproven ‘farming’ methods to raise and slaughter octopuses, we should be protecting our marine ecosystem to better enable marine species to rebound.” 

Recognition of the octopus as a sentient, intelligent creature has gained traction in recent years. The 2020 Academy-Award winning documentary My Octopus Teacher brought the idea that octopuses are emotional animals mainstream. The UK has passed laws that recognize octopus and other cephalopods as sentient creatures worthy of (some) protections.

Now the US is on the same path. Banning octo-farms is a good start, but if we acknowledge that octopuses are intelligent creatures with feelings, why not prohibit hunting and killing them altogether?

Photo credit: Pia B / Pexels