‘Cutting edge’ UK law set to recognise that octopuses are sentient

The UK government is considering amendments to animal welfare legislation which would recognise the sentience of  Octopus and their ability to feel pain, as reported in the Independent.

In November last year, the scope of the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill was extended to recognise lobsters, octopuses and crabs and all other decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs as sentient beings, in recognition of the research carried out by a LSE-led team.

The Bill is reaching its final stages – the consideration of such amendments – before it reaches royal assent and becomes law. The government has said the legislation will be for future guidance on animal welfare only and will not impact industries such as fishing or restaurants. The Bill and has led to other countries asking whether they should do the same.

Octopus farming: critics say plans are unethical

In February 2022, we highlighted the story of the world’s first octopus farm and how it was stirring an ethical debate. Reuters covered the news of a Spanish company planning to open the first commercial octopus farm next year.  European Union laws governing livestock welfare do not apply to invertebrates and although Spain is tightening up its animal protection legislation, octopuses are not set to be included.

Despite increasing concern for animal rights, demand is booming, led by Italy, Korea, Japan and Spain, the world’s biggest importer. The Guardian also reported the same story and stated that demand for octopus meat is increasing – the number of octopuses caught in the wild doubled between 1980 and 2014. From Spain and Mexico to Japan and Hawaii, companies and scientists have been working for decades to solve the myriad challenges it poses, including keeping hatchlings alive, calculating tank conditions and developing the right feed. The prize is cultivating an animal that grows quickly, reproduces easily and commands a high price. The story of the proposed Spanish octopus farm has also been covered in Oceanographic here.

Some of the authors of the aforementioned LSE report feel uneasy about the idea of octopus farming and point out their research showing that octopuses are conscious animals with feelings and inner lives, just like vertebrates, is an affirmation of what other scientists already believed.

Do octopuses, squid and crabs have emotions?

Octopuses can solve complex puzzles and show a preference for different individuals, but whether they, and other animals and invertebrates, have emotions is being hotly debated. Professor Kristin Andrews co-wrote an article published in the journal Science, “The question of animal emotions,” with Professor Frans de Waal, director of the Living Links Center at Emory University, which discusses the ethical and policy issues around animals being considered sentient.

Separately, recent research published in Marine Pollution Bulletin and covered in the Guardian, documented 24 species of octopus sheltering inside glass bottles, cans, and even an old battery; burying themselves under a mixture of bottle tops and seashells; even carrying plastic items around while “stilt-walking” on two tentacles, to conceal themselves from predators. An analysis of underwater images suggests octopuses are increasingly using discarded bottles, cans, and other human rubbish as shelter or as a sanctuary for their eggs.