A newly proposed bill to ban octopus farming in New York state could put an end to the controversial practice before it can get off the ground — or out of the water, as the case may be.
The bill, introduced in mid-April, is sponsored by Monica R. Martinez in the state Senate and by Tony Simone in the Assembly. If passed, the legislation would outlaw aquaculture that aims to raise any species of octopus for human consumption. It would also prohibit the business sale, possession, and transport of farmed octopuses in the state.
While there are no such octopus farms in New York at present, the state would join California and Washington in preemptively banning the practice, according to World Animal News.
In March 2023, the BBC reported that the world's first octopus farm had been proposed in Spain, to the great concern of scientists and animal advocates. The proposal raised a number of environmental and ethical concerns.
For one, as WAN noted, because octopuses are carnivorous and "require a high volume of food, about three times their own body weight," overfishing for feed is a risk of commercially farming the creatures.
Commercial farming practices could also introduce pollutants and otherwise disrupt delicate marine ecosystems, per WAN.
The ethical questions involved are serious as well. Octopuses are curious, highly intelligent, exceptionally skilled creatures. In captivity, they're notorious for breaking out of aquarium tanks. The BBC reported that a 2021 study led to the animals "being recognised as 'sentient beings'" in the United Kingdom's Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act. Attempting to contain them in the sort of system typical of a commercial farm would likely border on cruelty and could lead to concerning behavior.
The new bill comes after a pair of laws, also sponsored by Martinez, were passed by the NY legislature to restrict animal trafficking and assign stricter punishments for animal cruelty. If passed, the octopus farming ban would result in a daily fine of $1,000 per offense, according to WAN, and the fines would be collected by the Department of Environmental Conservation.
The bill is still in its early stages. Next, it needs to pass through the Environmental Conservation Committee before ultimately it can be brought to votes in the Senate and the Assembly.
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