California fish market owner buys 70-pound octopus just to set it free

Giovanni DeGarimore, the owner of a fish market in Morro Bay, Calif., purchased a 70-pound octopus "with the sole intention of releasing him back into the wild." Giovanni DeGarimore, the owner of a fish market in Morro Bay, Calif., purchased a 70-pound octopus "with the sole intention of releasing him back into the wild." Photo: Giovannis Fish Market/Facebook Photo: Giovannis Fish Market/Facebook Image 1 of / 63 Caption Close California fish market owner buys 70-pound octopus just to set it free 1 / 63 Back to Gallery

An octopus accidentally caught by a crab fisherman in San Luis Obispo County had an unexpected savior: the owner of a fish market.

Giovanni DeGarimore, owner of Giovanni's Fish Market, is usually in the business of selling fresh seafood to customers in Morro Bay. But this 70-pound, eight-legged creature (who he later named Fred) had a different fate.

"Gio bought [Fred] from a fisherman yesterday with the sole intention of releasing him back into the wild," reads a post on the business's Facebook page from earlier this month.

The purchase cost DeGarimore "a couple hundred dollars," according to the Tribune. He says he released the octopus back into the water the following day.

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A spokesperson for Giovanni's Fish Market explained that octopus hold a special place in DeGarimore's heart.

"Really it just came down to a personal decision for Gio. He's an avid diver and lover of the ocean, and though Gio makes his livelihood on selling seafood, he felt conflicted when it came to these magnificent and arguably sentient beings."

DeGarimore told the Tribune he used to sell octopus, but couldn't bring himself do it any longer after a close encounter with one of the cephalopods while diving in Fiji.

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Since sharing Fred's story on Facebook, the post has been shared hundreds of times.

"At the end of the day Gio said, 'It might not change the world, but I'm going to do one thing and if it only makes me and Fred happy, that's okay too.'"

Read Alix Martichoux's latest stories and send her news tips at amartichoux@sfchronicle.com.