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Often described as an “alien intelligence” on Earth, octopuses and their cousins in the cephalopod class of invertebrates have a cognitive and emotional range resembling the higher mammals and other sentient vertebrates. It is for this reason that many reacted in horror to the news that commercial octopus farms could be operational globally by 2022 or 2023.

That, in order to “save” wild cephalopods, we must begin farming them for human consumption is perverse. A factory farm system for these intelligent, emotionally versatile creatures does not yet exist—we ought to act now to ensure that it never does.

A simple ban on the farming of cephalopods will maintain consumer demand fully on wild ocean stocks. Thus, a ban on the sale of cephalopod meat and products is necessary to close the loop. “Banning food” must be approached carefully: we do not expect governments to ever police individual consumption. A ban on sale is not without precedent, however—endangered species acts function in much the same way. Preliminary studies also suggest that any attempt to farm octopuses and related species at scale will create enormous environmental stress.

For these reasons, we call on the Spanish, Canadian, and other conscientious governments to begin consultation on banning cephalopod farming and sale. The economic and cultural particulars attending to the removal of a common food item can be addressed through mature public debate.

Photo credits: Albert Kok (Wikimedia Commons), Diane Picchiottino, K. Mitch Hodge, Serena Repice Lentini, Sigmund (Unsplash)