The California Senate has unanimously voted to pass Assembly Bill 3162, which would make California the second U.S. state to ban octopus farming and the import and sale of octopus meat, the Los Angeles Times reported. The bill now awaits Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature to become law.
Lady Freethinker thanks local activists and more than 35,000 readers who signed our petition urging Governor Newsom and legislators to pass this groundbreaking bill prohibiting all commercial octopus breeding and farming in California.
The bill describes octopuses as “highly intelligent, curious, problem-solving animals” who have advanced cognitive skills. It states that octopuses are flexible and adaptive, with excellent long-term memory. They are not particularly social, so they tend to do poorly when confined with other octopuses.
Washington was the first state to ban octopus farming, following massive outcry from organizations around the world, including a petition from Lady Freethinker that garnered 35,528 signatures.
LFT also spoken out against octopus farming across the globe by signing a letter to the European Union urging a ban on the cruel practice and was one of 30+ organizations to petition against the first-ever commercial octopus farm.
Breeding and raising these clever animals on farms would not only be inhumane to them, but it would also be devastating to our ecosystem. Octopuses survive on a protein-rich diet, which means that many aquatic animals, such as fish and crabs, would have to be killed to sustain captive octopuses.
“The vast amount of waste generated from such a voracious diet will inevitably cause algal blooms and dead zones in the water, suffocating local wildlife to death,” Executive Director of Animal Rights Initiative (ARI) Amanda Fox testified, as reported by Imperial Valley Press.
LFT applauds the California Senate for listening to facts and testimonials and showing compassion for these remarkable creatures in passing AB 3162. Washington and California are blazing a trail that we hope the other states and the rest of the world will soon follow.
