Latest on fish feeling (or not feeling) pain

[Panda]

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Al, I have used this illustration before but I know of several incidents whilst in the tropical fish industry, of large cichlids such as Oscars and Red Devils falling asleep on the aquarium heater and burning themselves. I think that's pretty conclusive that they don't feel pain.


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There are different types of receptors in the nervous system Heat and cold are but 2. There are also pressure and stretch receptors.

Pain is an essential survival mechanism. If for instance a crayfish was to come along and start eating your oscar while he was asleep (and frying himself on the heater), he would most certainly wake.

My only explanation for the oscar on the heater is that fish may not have developed heat and cold receptors, or if they do have them perhaps they are only in a specialized area of their body. Unlike terrestrial animals fish are not routinely exposed to extremes of temperature in their environment.

As an interesting side note, people suffering ciguatera poisoning often perceive heat and cold in reverse. Eg; hot feels cold and cold feel hot. (they still feel normal pain though). Sufferers have been scalded by turning the hot water up in the shower because it felt cold. One fellow with ciguatera told me he only figured out what was going on when the shower cubical started filling up with steam, but the water still felt freezing cold. He ended up with blisters on his feet.

[Panda]

Like Al_Neibling I take only what I intend to use for food for myself and my family.

The hunting instinct lives within all of us and fishing is great sport as well as provides food for the table. But the thrill is in the hunt, not just the kill. One way to balance things out is to target species to your skill level. That is, if you can catch more bream than you need on bait, then move on to lures to reduce catch numbers and increase the sport factor. Another way is to target species on size/ eating quality. I could probably catch a hundred barra a season if I wanted to because there are plenty round here. But we take only two or three a year and dont target them once the freezer is well stocked. Rather than catching more barra than we need, you will find me chasing a feed of whiting or prawns the next week.

Its only been in my maturing years that I have found this balance. Its part motivated by conservation and partly out of a personal moral obligation not to kill and/or injure our fellow creatures just for fun and because I can.

[fish2eat]

This is getting way too touchy feely with all the spiritual crap

For me it is simple.....animals eveolve differently depending what their living circumstances are.

Fish may well be able to feel pain somewhere, however, they have evolved to crunch up crabs, eat other spiny & bony creatures, barnicles etc...therefore they could not possibly feel pain in the moutharea (where they are 99% likely to get hooked)

We are different, we have pain receptors in our mouths, even in our teeth, because we have evolved that way so that we have to fillet our bream, not eat it spines and all, or shell our crabs.

[Panda]

I haven't noticed too many fish with their mouthes ripped to pieces from eating spiney, boney creatures. I guess thats because they have hard boney mouths to crunch up their food. But I have noticed they don't fight as well when gut hooked and I am trying to pull their stomach out through their mouth.

[side_show_cod]

some of you need therapy

Whats next , 'All fish are created equal'?




.Disclaimer...No fish was hurt/harmed in the making of this post.

[88fishframe]

Maybe 'that celebrity fisherman from tv land' got it right afterall - catch your fish and then 'kiss it better' before releasing it


Then again, he may just have been worried about liability issues if a fish comes back to sue him for pain and suffering. Just like a certain elephant fish episode where comments where made on their looks. Could have been defamitory. Thank you mother for the rabbits, or some such

p.s. I think I heard something about a scientific study stating that catching a fish while holding your rod in your left hand , rather than the right hand, causes the fish less pain. In any case, I'll have mine in beer batter with some crunchy potato wedges.