HELP PROTECT OUR GIANT PACIFIC OCTOPUS On Friday, August 2, 1 pm the WA Fish & Wildlife Commission will vote on additional protections for our Giant Pacific Octopus. This is the largest octopus in the world, it is very intelligent and it is clearly "a glamorous megafauna." Recreation Divers really enjoy seeing the Octopus in our local waters. They are a valuable ³wildlife asset² in out-of-state Ecotourism in Washington's underwater world. There is no commercial harvest of Giant Pacific Octopus. Only a couple are caught and killed each year by sport-fishers, and those are "incidental" take. Under current state rules, anyone with a valid state fishing license can harvest one giant Pacific octopus per day in most areas of Puget Sound. But, unlike the smaller species of Octopus, these Giant Pacific ones are too big and too tough for eating. This is an ecotourism and ŒWatchable Wildlife¹ issue. The state would benefit by a designation of Puget Sound as a Giant Pacific Octopus Sanctuary because of all the free publicity in the national media ­ in dive magazines, nature magazines, etc. Here¹s the E-mail address to contact the Fish & wildlife Commission: commission@dfw.wa.gov Please urge them to adopt Option D: Puget Sound closure to recreational harvest of Giant Pacific Octopuses. Sent by Helen Engle, hengle@iinet.com, July 28 2013