New Bill in US Senate to Oppose Octopus Farming

Senators Murkowski (R-AK) and Whitehouse (D-RI) have introduced a bill to oppose commercial octopus farms. Scientists have raised concerns as the seafood industry recently discovered how to raise octopuses in captivity. In the past, attempts to breed octopuses in captivity have been unsuccessful, meaning octopuses used for food were wild caught.

The proposed octopus production facilities have been criticized as factory farms with several harmful impacts, including:

• Invasive Species: The likely escape and introduction of non-native species,

• Water Pollution: increased risk of nitrogen and phosphorus runoff from wastewater,

• Ocean Biodiversity: the environmental toll of the demand for feed to supply the carnivorous octopuses,

• Octopus Welfare: the welfare concerns of raising creatures—known for their sentience and intelligence—in confinement

The bipartisasn OCTOPUS Act would prohibit commercial octopus aquaculture in the US and the import of commercially farmed octopus. “Octopuses are among the most intelligent creatures in the oceans.  And they belong at sea, not suffering on a factory farm,” said Senator Whitehouse.

Similar legislation has already passed in Washington state and is under consideration in California as legislators scramble to prevent this ignominious trade from taking hold.