Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bipartisan invoice Friday making it a criminal offense to farm octopuses for human consumption in California.
The brand new legislation makes it unlawful to lift and breed octopuses in state waters or in aquaculture tanks based mostly on land throughout the state. It additionally prevents enterprise homeowners and operators from knowingly taking part within the sale of an octopus — no matter its provenance — that has been raised to be eaten by folks.
The textual content of the legislation acknowledges that octopuses are “highly intelligent, curious, problem-solving animals” which are acutely aware, sentient and expertise “pain, stress, and fear, as well as pleasure, equanimity, and social bonds.” It goes on to notice that in analysis research, these eight-legged marine invertebrates have demonstrated long-term reminiscence in addition to the flexibility to acknowledge particular person folks.
In a single experiment, eight big Pacific octopuses had been launched to 2 folks over a two-week interval on the Seattle Aquarium. Certainly one of them at all times approached with meals in hand, which they gave to the octopuses. The opposite carried a bristly stick, with which they used to scratch the cephalopods’ delicate pores and skin.
On the finish of two weeks, the octopuses’ responses to the 2 folks had been considerably completely different. When the stick-carrier approached, the animals would transfer away and line up their water jets towards the offender so they might make a fast get-away if needed. However when feeder got here calling, they ambled as much as the aspect of the tank and turned their jets away.
Proponents of the brand new legislation stated it positions California as a pacesetter in humane aquaculture. They level to a rising physique of analysis that reveals elevating octopuses for meals is merciless, inefficient and detrimental to the setting.
California is now the second state — after Washington — to ban octopus farming. Related laws has additionally been launched within the U.S. Senate and in Hawaii.
“We know that what happens in California has an impact on what happens federally,” Jennifer Jacquet, a professor of environmental science and coverage on the College of Miami, stated when the invoice cleared the legislature. “Americans want to keep octopuses wild.”
