Damn shame.

I actually have a lot of respect for vegans and vegetarians, as long as they keep an open mind about recreational fishing.

some studies show that plants "scream" when under attack and then emit scents that attract predators of what is attacking them.  If this proves to be semi consciousness, militant vegans are going to have a very hard decision on what to eat.

The hypocrisy is that commercially caught fish will probably be available in stores and restaurants long after recreational fishing has been abolished. We're easy scapegoats and the big $$$ commercial industry is not.

+1 on the hypocrisy angle

F***ing bummer, I was sure that kid was going to sue those jerks for harrasment and internet stalking.

Also the article kept referring to it as a female octopus which is inaccurate and annoying. But it really sounds like they're only closing the seacrest area to hunting and not all of Washington unless I'm mistaken. Not the worst but still.

some studies show that plants "scream" when under attack and then emit scents that attract predators of what is attacking them.  If this proves to be semi consciousness, militant vegans are going to have a very hard decision on what to eat.

Saying that plants "scream" is to anthropomorphize them. Certainly they have defense mechanisms, as do all organisms, but they don't have a central nervous system like animals do, and certainly don't have vocal chords. Whether it's semi-consciousness depends on how we define consciousness.

We need to eat something to survive, and perhaps eating plants is the lesser of two evils, at least from the pain-and-suffering standpoint. I'm mostly playing devil's advocate here, as I killed two black rockfish and three urchins today...oh, and also some avocados, limes, tomatoes, persimmons, strawberries, and bananas. 

I think what most people fail to realize is the incredibly humane nature in which sea creatures kill their prey.
No suffering, no unnecessary blood shed.
After all, swallowing another creature whole and letting the predators digestive juices slowly melt away at the flesh of the swallowed victim is completely humane. No harm no foul.
Taking a viscious chunk out of another creature to have it bleed out before it's completely mauled is extremely sensitive. It doesn't mater who is watching either.
Or better yet, taking an inspection chunk, then doing nothing with the newly developed corpse is fine because, after all, it wasn't what the predator was looking for.

When feeding, lingcod attack their prey and especially enjoy chasing anything that flees from their rows of sharp teeth. In the underwater world of lingcod, it is an "eat or be eaten" world. Lingcod will even eat their younger, smaller brothers, sisters or cousins.

Again, no problem eating your relatives here.
I'm sure an octopus that size never hurt any other sea creatures. It was probably a vegetarian, thus never harming any future production of any other species.
I am so sick and flippin' tired of people attaching Disney like qualities to fair game.
Good thing lingcod don't eat octopus. Oh the humanity!!!!!!!!!!!