Hawaiian state regulators ordered the Kanaloa Octopus Farm in the state’s Hawaiʻi Ocean Science and Technology Park research campus to stop operation, citing concerns the site was possessing specimens of the day octopus species without a permit.
The facility had operated both for aquaculture purposes of breeding octopuses and as a tourist attraction where visitors could interact with the short-lived day octopus species.
Possession of day octopuses weighing under a pound is illegal under Hawaiian state law. In a cease-and-desist letter, officials from the state Department of Aquatic Resources pointed out that KOF lacks the proper aquaculture licensing or special permits to breed captive octopuses.
Authorities also said the octopuses came from the West Hawaii Regional Fishery Management Area. Taking aquatic life from the area and putting specimens in activity, whether for display, science, or commercial uses, is also not allowed without an aquarium permit. No aquarium permits have been issued for the WHRFMA since 2018.
Proprietor Jake Conroy aims to reopen after complying with DAR orders. Mr. Conroy used to work for DAR himself at a sea urchin hatchery in Oahu.
“We take seriously our commitment to follow all regulations regarding research and humane treatment of the cephalopods in our care,” Mr. Conroy said in a statement, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Research will shift from the day octopus to the Hawaiian bobtail squid, which is unregulated. The business has also been rebranded as Kanaloa Octopus, with the focus shifting away from food production.
“As we have learned more about the reproductive cycle of octopuses we no longer believe they are good candidates for aquaculture for food production,” Mr. Conroy said, according to local news site Big Island Now.
The individual octopuses have to be kept separated due to their aggression toward fellow species members, making raising them at scale prohibitively expensive.
Activists, however, believe the facility should be shut down permanently. Laura Cascada publicized the results of her own visit in October in her Every Animal Project blog.
“I basically saw what looked like a petting zoo. They were inviting tourists to come in and basically play with octopuses. What I discovered is that it’s actually a greenwashing … in which the facility is capturing wild octopuses and putting them into tiny tanks,” Ms. Cascada told Hawaii News Now, which is affiliated with Honolulu CBS affiliate KGMB-TV and NBC affiliate KHNL-TV.
Ms. Cascada celebrated the DAR’s order, calling it a “crucial step.”
“Kanaloa’s true goals, revealed by government records, are to profit off the creation of an octopus farming industry, and the state must now take permanent action to stop this assault on Hawaii’s wildlife,” Ms. Cascada told the Big Island Gazette.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.