Cephalopods — octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish — have complex nervous systems and clear behavioral evidence for sentience, driving new welfare policies and research programs worldwide.
Cephalopod welfare policy represents one of the most significant recent expansions of animal welfare consideration. The UK inclusion of cephalopods in research animal protections acknowledges their cognitive complexity. The welfare implications extend beyond research to fishing and aquaculture. Squid caught by jigging or trawling experience capture stress, injury, and death through methods designed for non-sentient animals. The cognitive evidence for cephalopod sentience is now substantial enough to warrant application of the precautionary principle to their fishing, farming, and culinary use.