Among the most intelligent creatures on earth, the octopus is getting some political backing.

A bipartisan bill was recently introduced in the Senate that would not only ban octopus farming in the US, but prohibit the import of farmed octopus meat into the country as well. The Opposing the Cultivation and Trade of Octopus Produced through Unethical Strategies (OCTOPUS) Act was introduced by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), founders and co-chairs of the bipartisan Senate Oceans Caucus.

Scientists have learned that octopuses can learn to solve puzzles, use tools, and remember and learn from prior experiences, and studies found strong evidence of sentience in the creatures as well.

“Octopuses are among the most intelligent creatures in the oceans.  And they belong at sea, not suffering on a factory farm.  My bipartisan bill with Senator Murkowski would preemptively prevent U.S. companies from participating in this brutal practice before it takes root,”said Whitehouse.

“The OCTOPUS Act proactively protects Alaska’s marine ecosystems and supports wild harvest opportunities for Alaska’s fishermen, and I’m glad to join Senator Whitehouse in this effort,” said Murkowski.“As Alaska fishermen continue to navigate dire circumstances in the global market, I will continue to advocate for the most sustainable, wild-caught fisheries in the world.”

The bill follows similar legislation in Washington, the first state to enact an octopus farming ban. Critics of octopus farming site not only the intelligence of the animal and cruelty of the process, but it’s negative environmental impact. Large farming operations can become hot spots for disease and contamination and open water farms cause suffering in the surrounding wild open seas.

Additionally, octopuses are apex predators with large appetites, and their need to consume large quantities of seafood stresses the natural order. “Octopuses naturally feed on crabs and clams, small fish in the wild,” US director of Compassion in World Farming, Ben Williamson told NPR in February. “It’s estimated that it would take at least three pounds of wild caught fish to produce one pound of farmed octopus. So it’s completely unsustainable in that respect.”

But mostly, as anyone who has seen My Octopus Teacher can tell you, these are special creatures that deserve a better fate.

“Scientists have proven octopuses are complex, intelligent creatures who can feel a full range of emotions,” Animal Legal Defense Fund’s manager of legislative affairs Allison Ludtke told NPR. “Instead of exploiting them, we must protect this dynamic species who suffer terribly in confined settings.”

It sounds like the octopus has the correct people on its side to both protect the species and allow it to thrive.

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