California lawmakers have approved a bill that would make it illegal to farm octopuses in state waters or on land, as well as to import them.
The bill, AB 3162, now sits on Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk, awaiting his signature — or veto.
The bill's sponsors say legislation is needed to position California as a leader in humane aquaculture. They point to a growing body of research showing that the eight-limbed creatures are self-aware and highly intelligent, and that turning them into feedstock is cruel, inefficient and damaging to the environment.
The law bans any agricultural activity that involves the “propagating, cultivating, maintaining or harvesting of any species of octopus for the purpose of human consumption.” It would also prevent business owners, retailers and restaurateurs from “knowingly engaging in the sale” of any octopus bred or raised in such a manner.
The bill received unanimous approval in the Senate and overwhelming bipartisan support in the Assembly: 59 votes in favor of banning octopus farming and 10 against.
“This is a pivotal moment, not just in California but across the country, in the effort to protect octopuses from the scale of suffering other animals already endure on factory farms,” Jennifer Hauge, senior manager of legislative affairs for the Animal Legal Defense Fund, said in a statement.
If the bill becomes law, California would join Washington as the second state to ban octopus farming. Bills have also been introduced in the U.S. Senate and Hawaii.
“California demonstrated unanimous agreement and vision to protect octopuses from mass production,” said Jennifer Jacquet, a professor of environmental science and policy at the University of Miami. “We know that what happens in California has an impact on what happens at the federal level… Americans want to keep octopuses in the wild.”
A spokesman for the California Aquaculture Association declined to comment, saying only that the trade association's board of directors had decided not to take up the bill.
