Victory! Octopus Farming & Farmed Octopus Flesh Sales Banned in California
We are very pleased to report some great news from California. The state is now the second to ban octopus farming on land and in water throughout the state and the sale of farmed octopus flesh within California.
This was all made possible through the Oppose Cruelty to Octopuses Act’s passage thanks to state assemblymembers and senators, Governor Gavin Newsom, and the work of our devoted California supporters who took action on our alert to the California Senate and our alert to Governor Newsom.
After successfully passing through the Assembly and Senate, this critical legislation arrived on the governor's desk and was signed into law on September 27, 2024. This follows the first state ban by Washington in March of this year.
Other organizations including Aquatic Life Institute, Animal Rights Initiative, Social Compassion in Legislation, and Animal Legal Defense Fund have also been working on this effort, and their efforts were critical in helping the bill pass the first hurdle in the Assembly in April.
Octopuses are intelligent, sentient beings who are naturally curious and they would have suffered from a lack of stimulation in a large-scale farm setting. They are known to be able to solve complex puzzles, escape from their enclosures, and throw things at one another! Their ability to disguise themselves and manipulate their cells to perfectly match their backgrounds shows an acute awareness of their surroundings.
Octopus farming is not only harmful to individual octopuses but has the potential to be detrimental to the environment and human health. Octopuses are known to carry over 20 different pathologies, including vibrio cholerae, which causes cholera in humans.
Octopus farming could have negative impacts on wild fish populations. Nitrogen and phosphorus from farming octopuses would contribute to environmental pollution and declining biodiversity. Additionally, octopuses are carnivores, and most of the fish suitable for them to eat are also consumed by humans, which will further deplete wild fish populations.
Please take a moment to savor this victory, and then please call, comment on social media, and sign and share our alert to ban octopus farming and stop the sales of farmed octopus flesh nationwide. Thank you for caring and taking action.