A 8043: Provides that no person shall engage in the operation of a marine hatchery or in the off-bottom or on-bottom culture of any species belonging to the order Octopoda unless for scientific or educational purposes for the purpose of human consumption.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8043 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY April 22, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. SIMONE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to octo- pus farming The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The environmental conservation law is amended by adding a 2 new section 13-0316-a to read as follows: 3 § 13-0316-a. Octopus farming. 4 1. Definitions. As used in this section, the following terms shall 5 have the following meanings: 6 a. "Aquaculture" means the production of aquatic organisms under 7 controlled conditions throughout part or all of their lifecycle. 8 b. "Octopus" means a cephalopod mollusk with a soft body and eight 9 limbs belonging to the order Octopoda, and does not include wild caught 10 octopuses or octopuses propagated, cultivated, maintained, reared, or 11 harvested only for research purposes unrelated to commercial production. 12 2. Prohibition. a. No person shall engage in the aquaculture of any 13 species of octopus in the state for the purpose of human consumption. 14 b. No business entity shall sell, possess, or transport any species of 15 octopus in the state that is the result or product of aquaculture. 16 § 2. Section 71-0925 of the environmental conservation law is amended 17 by adding a new subdivision 7-d to read as follows: 18 7-d. If the violation was an act prohibited by subdivision two of 19 section 13-0316-a of this chapter, or any rule or regulation adopted 20 pursuant thereto, not to exceed one thousand dollars for each day and 21 each offense. The department may adopt policies for the collection of 22 penalties. 23 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately. Effective immediately, 24 the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces- 25 sary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are 26 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD09910-02-5