Octopus farming has formally been outlawed in Washington country thanks to a first - of - its - kind nib being signed into law .
WashingtonHB 1153 , which prohibits devilfish husbandry in the state , was formally signed into jurisprudence on March 13 , 2024 , after receive the greenish light from Governor Jay Inslee . The policy will come into action on June 11 , 90 days after receive the regulator ’s signature .
“ Octopuses should be able-bodied to shout and swim about the coral that lies beneath the wave . They should n’t be confined to pens . There should be no one there to tell them what to do , ” Peterson said , touch on to The Beatles ' tune " Octopus ’s Garden " .
While there are currently no large - weighing machine octopus farm in the world , several companies and producers are count to vary that . Spanish seafood company , Nueva Pescanova , has fructify its sights onbuilding an devilfish farmin the Canary Islands . It ’s presently waiting for final approval , but it would be the first commercial-grade speculation to bring up and slaughter octopus on an industrial scale , killing around 1 million animals each yr .
This latest law ensures that the practice is preemptively banned in Washington DoS . Other states , includingCaliforniaandHawai’i , are also weigh up similar legislating .
The environmental impact of devilfish aquaculture is a major concern , but much of the debate focuses on whether it is ethical to raise extremely thinking animals .
Along with other cephalopods , octopuses areundeniably smart creatureswith a unique complex unquiet system , capable of advanced problem - solving and learnedness . It ’s even been advise that they aresentient creatureswith individual personalities .
Many believe their behavior make them ill - suited to living in captivity and mass - production . octopus are typically solitary animal that dwell in sorry environment , but aggregate production of their kernel would ask thousands of beast to be stored in well - lit army tank . They would likely be slaughtered by being dunk in a cooler of ice rink slurry hold at -3 ° C ( 26.6 ° F ) , which someresearch has indicatedcan cause accent and severe pain in other maritime creatures .
Given this circumstance , creature wellbeing proponent have celebrate the recent move in Washington state of matter . Aquatic Life Institute ( ALI ) launched a movement to banish octopus farming in 2022 and , along with legion other NGOs , has been continually pushing for legalization to disallow the practice worldwide .
" Aquatic Life Institute applauds Governor Inslee ’s leadership on this critically important issue of environment and animal eudaemonia . Washington State is laying the path to a more sustainable and humane future,”Sophika Kostyniuk , Managing Director of Aquatic Life Institute , say in a statement to IFLScience .
“ In the midst of an ecologic crisis , the people of Washington State have passed the world ’s first statewide ban on octopus land . The decision is historical and visionary , and shows that industrial octopus production is not inevitable . We can finish the mass yield of octopus before it begins , ” Dr Jennifer Jacquet , a Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at the University of Miami , say in anotherstatement .
