Do fish feel pain/Is Fishing Cruel?

itrebebag99

Plecostomus
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I do know that fish contain nociceptors, but do they have the mental capacity to feel pain? Since they lack a neocortex, I was thinking that they most likely just perceive pain as information. Does anyone out there have a better answer?
 

Drstrangelove

Potamotrygon
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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130808123719.htm

Nope, not based upon how scientists define "feel" and "pain."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK99533/

It's doubtful that they even feel "pain" as information, since pain is defined as including an emotional event. E.g., people don't feel pain while under anesthetics.

I've been under many times, and did not feel any pain; although I have all the functions needed to feel it. Otoh, when I tore my achilles, I was under emotional distress, although physically at the time it snapped and at every point afterwards, I had no sensation of any pain whatsoever. Then, there's emotional pain.

People who are paralyzed often have to be put under anesthesia because while they don't "feel" anything in the way the rest of us might describe it, their body does in fact know there is something going on, and it reacts (sometimes dangerously) during operations and procedures.

Simply having reflexive or instinctive responses to stimuli, no matter how significant the amount isn't pain.
 
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esoxlucius

Balaclava Bot Butcher
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Dec 30, 2015
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The "do fish feel pain" thing will always always come up. As hobbyists (and many of us keen anglers too), we would probably hope that they don't feel much stress or pain because lets face it keeping fish in a glass box or yanking a fish out of the water with a hook in its mouth are two instances where you'd think stress and pain were pretty much up there. But the truth is, until evolution allows fish to talk, or scientists come up with some concrete evidence, we will never ever know.

So in the meantime all us fish lovers just need to carry on what we are doing and treat our friends with respect and look after them. And i think most of us already do that so well done us.
 
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Mighty Wizard

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I imagine the fish would feel something akin to panic as you hauled it up and killed it, but then again I don't think any creature wants to die.

If you eat it after you'll feel better. One shouldn't waste.
 

skjl47

Goliath Tigerfish
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Hello; Do fish feel pain? Seems they do or at least something very much like pain. Among people there are different levels of pain tolerance. Saw a talk by a dentist about how some folks do not seem to need the numbing shots and others are very hard to make numb.
My guess is fish have a higher pain tolerance in general than people.

Is fishing cruel? Yes, no and maybe. Perhaps all three. An Osprey fishes to eat and live, yet I suspect most will not call the Osprey cruel.
I fish for pleasure. I rarely kill a fish and eat it. I sport fish. Catch and release. I take precautions such as a barbless hook and no live bait. Don't land many fish due to the barbless hooks. I have fun but doubt the fish enjoys the experience. Some will call this cruel and give it a yes, others a maybe.

Commercial fishing is all three to me. The fish caught feed people is the not cruel part. That so often commercial fishing kills other species (sea turtles & dolphins) and "trash "fish is the yes it is cruel part. The maybe part might be the wiping out of fisheries from over fishing while getting food for people.
 
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