A team from the Vancouver Aquarium, transferred a female Giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) to the ocean off the coast of Bowen Island on March 16.
A collaboration with Ocean Wise and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), this release is a first for the aquarium.
The animal care team at Vancouver Aquarium had recently noticed the octopus had become reproductively active.
“We first observed the octopus spending more and more time outside her den which is a behaviour associated with looking for a mate,” said Ruby Banwait, senior aquarium biologist at Vancouver Aquarium in a news release. “We knew she was fully grown and seeing eggs in her mantle confirmed that it was her time to reproduce.”
"When staff recently noticed eggs, they received permission from DFO to transfer the octopus to the ocean. The two organizations created a plan to return the cephalopod to a den in nearby waters."
The video is from a Go Pro attached to the octopus.
