Associated Press

MORRO BAY — Giovanni’s Fish Market in Morro Bay makes its money by selling seafood, but owner Giovanni DeGarimore made news this month when he bought a live 70-pound octopus — and set it free.

DeGarimore tells The Tribune of San Luis Obispo 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.

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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.