California becomes second US state to ban octopus farming

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed the OCTO Act into law, banning octopus farming and the sale of farmed octopuses in the state, making it the second U.S. state to prohibit the practice. The bill received unanimous approval from the state senate and overwhelming support in the assembly, with the Animal Legal Defense Fund and Social Compassion in Legislation cosponsoring the bill. The law will go into effect on 1 January and similar legislation has been proposed at the national level.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill banning octopus farming into law, making it the second U.S. state after Washington to prohibit the practice.The Oppose Cruelty to Octopuses (OCTO) Act prohibits octopus farming operations throughout the state. It also bans the sale of farmed octopuses in California. The bill received unanimous approval from the state senate and overwhelming support in the state assembly.The Animal Legal Defense Fund, which cosponsored the bill along with Social Compassion in Legislation, claims the “animals have significant cognitive abilities and can learn new skills, navigate complex mazes, are known escape artists, and even use tools,” making confining them for farming inhumane.“Bipartisan support to ban commercial octopus farming in California underlines the state’s unified opposition to allowing the exploitive practice of factory farming to expand to another population of vulnerable animals,” Animal Legal Defense Fund Senior Legislative ...