Sign on to Ban Octopus Farming In Washington

House Rules Committee

339C Legislative Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA

98504-0600

RE: 114 NGO Request Bill HB 1153 Pulled to Vote - Prohibiting octopus farming

Dear House Rules Committee,

The Aquatic Life Institute is a leading international not-for-profit organization, dedicated to improving the lives of aquatic animals exploited in the global food system. For the past 3 years, we have been supporting global intergovernmental organizations and country-level governments (including the FAO, UK and Canada) as they introduced welfare considerations for farmed and wild aquatic animals. We now strongly urge the House Rules Committee to pull Bill HB 1153 to a vote. 

We lead a coalition of over 120 organizations and individuals all over the world and are sharing our concerns about the welfare of octopuses in any proposed farming facility. 

As widely documented, octopuses are highly intelligent and complex animals that suffer greatly in captivity due to their solitary and inquisitive nature. Furthermore, there are no approved humane slaughter methods for these animals, and their carnivorous diet makes farming them unsustainable and damaging to the environment. Moreover, several scientists have recently raised significant concerns about the practice of octopus farming, all of which are related to the fact that these animals, like many others, are not suited to large-scale farming practices, especially in conditions of extreme confinement. For additional information, please refer to our campaign page.

By pulling Bill HB 1153 to vote, you have a unique opportunity to send a powerful message to the people of Washington State, as well as internationally, that animal welfare and environmental protection are a priority for your district, and that you are leading the charge on this very timely and critical issue. 

Please contact us at any time to schedule a meeting to discuss this matter further. We would be honored to support your efforts.

Sincerely,

Indu Mani DVM, DSc

Gwendolen Reyes-IIlg, DVM

Jim Reynolds DVM, MPVM, DACAW

Crystal Heath, DVM

Barry Kipperman, DVM, DACVIM, MSc, DACAW

Barbara Hodges, DVM, MBA

Paula Kislak, DVM

Peter Mangravite, DVM

Madeline Graham, DVM

Debra Teachout, DVM, MVSc