Remember last November, when pictures surfaced of a diving pair emerging from a popular Puget Sound dive spot with a squirming giant Pacific octopus in their arms—a live creature that they promptly threw in the back of their truck—and the internet howled in collective fury?

Good news! The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife has implemented a new policy protecting giant Pacific octopuses in seven Puget Sound diving sites. The policy took effect Monday, October 6, following months of public meetings and input from a citizen advisory committee.

Octopus harvesting is now prohibited these sites, which together encompass 1,300 acres of habitat:

• Deception Pass north of Oak Harbor
• Seacrest Park Coves 1, 2 and 3 near Alki Point in West Seattle
• Alki Beach Junk Yard in West Seattle
• Three Tree Point in Burien
• Redondo Beach in Des Moines
• Les Davis Marine Park adjacent to the Les Davis Fishing Pier in Tacoma
• Days Island Wall in Tacoma