California fish market buys big octopus but returns it to ocean
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Reporting from MORRO BAY, Calif. — Giovanni’s Fish Market in Morro Bay, Calif., makes its money by selling seafood, but owner Giovanni DeGarimore made news this month when he bought a 70-pound octopus — and set it free.
DeGarimore told the Tribune of San Luis Obispo that he’s had a change of heart about selling or consuming octopus after learning about their intelligence and an experience he had playing hide-and-seek with one while scuba diving in Fiji.
So when his dock manager called last week to say a local fisherman was selling an octopus that had been caught in a crab trap, DeGarimore couldn’t bear the thought of it being cut up.
He says he bought the octopus, named it Fred and temporarily kept it in a tank at his market, then released it.
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