A 8043 New York Assembly · 2025 Regular Session

Prohibits octopus farming

This bill prohibits the commercial farming of octopuses in the state for human consumption. It defines "aquaculture" as farming aquatic organisms under controlled conditions and explicitly excludes wild-caught octopuses and research-related farming. The law bans any person from engaging in octopus farming for food, with violations subject to fines up to $1,000 per day and offense. The law takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Apr 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Apr 22, 2025 Last action Jun 4, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

A8043B → A8043C · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was expanded from a single sponsor to a multi-sponsored bill with additional legislators, indicating broader legislative support. The core policy text was rewritten to clarify that octopus farming is prohibited unless it is for scientific or educational purposes, explicitly removing ambiguity about 'controlled conditions' and adding a specific exemption for authorized scientific activities. The penalty for violations was updated to include a daily fine for each day the violation continues, rather than a one-time fine per octopus.

Scope change

The bill's scope was clarified to explicitly ban the operation of marine hatcheries and off-bottom or on-bottom culture of octopus, with specific exemptions for scientific and educational purposes authorized under existing law.

REQUIREMENT

The prohibition language was rewritten to explicitly ban the operation of marine hatcheries and culture of octopus unless for scientific or educational purposes, replacing previous language about 'controlled conditions'.

ENFORCEMENT

The penalty for violating the octopus farming ban was changed from a one-time fine per octopus to a daily fine for each day the violation persists.

TECHNICAL

The bill was converted to a multi-sponsored bill, adding numerous co-sponsors and a multi-sponsor.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

May 28, 2026

Lower · Passed

AMENDED ON THIRD READING 8043C

lower

Mar 4, 2026

Committee

REPORTED REFERRED TO CODES

lower

Feb 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

PRINT NUMBER 8043B

lower

Feb 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

lower

Jan 7, 2026

Committee

REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

lower

May 29, 2025

Lower · Passed

PRINT NUMBER 8043A

lower

May 29, 2025

Lower · Passed

AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

lower

Apr 22, 2025

Committee

REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

lower

1 primary · 30 co-sponsors