California Fish Market Buys 70-Pound Octopus From Fisherman and Sets it Free

Giovanni DeGarimore, owner of Giovanni's Fish Market in San Luis Obispo, California, bought a giant 70-pound octopus from a fisherman, but didn’t end up selling it. Instead, he set it free.

“Meet Fred. He's a 70 Pound Octopus that Gio bought from a fisherman yesterday with the sole intention of releasing him back into the wild,” the fish market said in a Facebook post, which has received accolades from the Bay Area and beyond. “As you may or may not know, Gio has taken a moral position to no longer support the sales of ANY Octopus products. While it might seem strange, we think it's actually pretty cool. Stay tuned to follow Fred's released back into the wild.”

The San Luis Obispo Tribune reports that the sale cost DeGarimore “a couple hundred dollars.”

The fisherman caught the octopus in a crab trap earlier this month. Thanks to DeGarimore its now back in the wild.

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