New Law Would Ban All Octopus Farming in America

"Octopuses are among the most intelligent creatures in the oceans."

Octopus Teacher

A few American politicians are taking a stand for octopus-kind by introducing a bill that would ban the commercial farming of the eight-armed mollusc in the United States, while also prohibiting the import of farmed octopus meat into the country.

The bill — the Opposing the Cultivation and Trade of Octopus Produced through Unethical Strategies (OCTOPUS) Act — comes after NPR reported that a company in Spain plans to factory farm octopuses for seafood in the Canary Islands, which has alarmed both scientists and animal right activists.

“Octopuses are among the most intelligent creatures in the oceans," said Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse in a statement. "And they belong at sea, not suffering on a factory farm."

Whitehouse, a Democrat, is co-sponsoring the OCTOPUS Act with Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski, who said in the same statement she wants to protect her state's ecosystem and the fortunes of Alaskan fishermen who harvest seafood in the wild.

The bill proposes up to a $100,00 fine for each violation, but has loopholes for people who breed octopuses for research, replenishing native stock, or for aquariums.

Signs of Intelligent Life

The bill follows a similar ban that was made law in the state of Washington, the first government in the world to ban octopus farming.

Critics of octopus farming are concerned about its environmental impact, because a mass farming operation could become a hot spot for disease and contamination. And if the farm is out in open water, the surrounding wild open seas could suffer.

Another concern is that octopuses are apex predators and need to eat lots of other seafood, putting more pressure on overfished wildlife.

"Octopuses naturally feed on crabs and clams, small fish in the wild," US director of Compassion in World Farming, Ben Williamson told NPR in February. "It's estimated that it would take at least three pounds of wild caught fish to produce one pound of farmed octopus. So it's completely unsustainable in that respect."

But most importantly to these critics, as alluded to by Senator Whitehouse, octopuses are pretty smart.

In various experiments, octopuses have solved puzzles and navigated mazes. They can open jars with their flexible limbs and are one of the few invertebrates that can use tools. Astoundingly, they can even recognize individual people.

"Scientists have proven octopuses are complex, intelligent creatures who can feel a full range of emotions," Animal Legal Defense Fund's manager of legislative affairs Allison Ludtke told NPR. "Instead of exploiting them, we must protect this dynamic species who suffer terribly in confined settings."

More on octopuses: United Kingdom Declares Octopuses, Squids Are Sentient Beings