# "Fish can't feel pain"



## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

Is this true?

We have all heard that recreational fishing is not injurious to fish, because they can't feel pain. Recently, I had someone tell me not to worry about bettas having fin rot or ammonia burns, because "fish are cold blooded; they can't feel pain".

(No, I don't fish for sport/fun/etc.)

If I remember correctly from A&P1, feeling pain is a preservational mechanism. Pain alerts us that something is causing damage to our bodies. Why on earth would a fish not have this mechanism?

I may be incorrect, but, I do believe that "pain" is a signal transmitted by our nerves, which are also responsible for other sensations. This is why, when we hurt ourselves, we can reduce the pain by rubbing the injured area. The nerves become confused, as they can only transmit one signal at a time, and therefore they transmit the sensation of pressure, and not of pain.

Fish have sensation, yes? Therefore, they should also feel pain?


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## registereduser (Jul 30, 2010)

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=underwater-suffering-do-fish-feel-pain

I especially like and agree with some of the comments.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Its not that fish can't feel pain-its the perception or how they perceive pain.

Their brain isn't wired to feel pain/perceive pain the way we do-But they do feel pain.

They respond to painful stimuli by moving away-Instinct of survival telling them to get away to avoid being eaten...Not "Ouch" that hurts....make sense....


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## jeremywadejunior (Jul 11, 2012)

Toad, I agree. I've actually never thought about this issue much, but I'm glad I found this thread and my attention was brought to it. I actually recently found this article that was interesting and I would recommend reading it: http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/fish-feel-pain.aspx 

I previously had started getting into the sport of fishing _(catch and release of course. I was only interested because fish fascinate me and it was a good opportunity to see the fish up close)_ because my best friend is quite into it. I've only ever caught one fish, but whenever I see someone else catch a fish, something doesn't feel right and I feel that the fish IS in fact in pain. After reading that article, I have decided *never to go fishing again*. Even IF fish don't feel the pain of a hook in their mouth, we all know that fish react to stress. And I'm sure nothing is more stressful than being pulled into an environment where you are not able to breathe, let alone being handled by humans. Once they are released, the stress can weaken their immune system and cause illness or death I'm sure.


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## LionCalie (Sep 24, 2011)

toad said:


> Recently, I had someone tell me not to worry about bettas having fin rot or ammonia burns, because "fish are cold blooded; they can't feel pain".


What an ignorant person. :shake: 

Reptiles are cold blooded and they most definitely feel pain. Being warm or cold blooded has nothing to do with it.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

I think it's just a more primitive nervous system. There's some pain but not on the level we perceive pain. I always imagine fish pain as more of a dull throb instead of a sharp pain.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

Thanks for the input guys 

I was completely stunned about the cold blooded remark, as well. Why on earth would it matter if the animal was cold blooded...?


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

IMO-Be careful with anything written by PETA...if it was up to them we wouldn't be allowed to keep any pets....dog, cats, aquarium, ride horse...etc.....


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## VictorP (Jun 5, 2012)

Oldfishlady said:


> IMO-Be careful with anything written by PETA...if it was up to them we wouldn't be allowed to keep any pets....dog, cats, aquarium, ride horse...etc.....



That's true and it really does bring up the question of "How bad can PETA get." I recently read an article about how they were going to sue fast food companies because they murder animals to make their meat.


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

Not to offend anyone, but I don't like PETA, I don't support them, and it irritates me when people think I'm affiliated with them simply because I'm a vegetarian.

People can point out all day long the few good things they do - but even a broken clock is right twice a day.


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## jeremywadejunior (Jul 11, 2012)

Oh yeah, I don't agree with PETA on many of their views either; I just randomly came across that article and I felt that it did offer some truth.


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## lelei (Apr 30, 2012)

I would suspect any Living creature, that has a heart, and breathes, and brain, can feel pain..any creature, I even feel bad for a spider if I have to kill it, ants not so much..but I truly beleive all, and every thing that lives feels pain~


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

I eat meat it is natural unlike PETA I do not kill animals comment acts of violence and give money to terrorist fish all vertebrates feel pain but invertebrates can not feel pain PETA also takes advantage of autistics and women to press their agenda like saying milk and meat cause all medical problems animal rights is extremely stupid support animal welfare PETA ignores facts.


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## bettalover2000 (May 10, 2011)

No offense Chocolate, but please use commas or periods.
I do agree with OFL, I believe that animals can feel pain and use their instincts, but they don't process emotion with pain, like we do.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

sorry when 15 bad with English like grammar.


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## windfondquist (Sep 10, 2021)

toad said:


> Is this true?
> 
> We have all heard that recreational fishing is not injurious to fish, because they can't feel pain. Recently, I had someone tell me not to worry about bettas having fin rot or ammonia burns, because "fish are cold blooded; they can't feel pain".
> 
> ...


The question of whether fishes feel pain can elicit very emotional responses from some people.

Looking at a hooked fish or a fish asphyxiating in a drying stream, one cannot help but attribute human feelings of pain and suffering to the fish.

A team of researchers led by Dr Lynne Sneddon in Scotland have concluded that fishes do feel pain.

This conclusion was based on experiments during which trout were injected in the lips with bee venom and acid. The researchers then confirmed that a nervous response was transmitted and the behaviour of the fish modified.

Dr J. Rose of the University of Wyoming on the other hand states that the perception of pain and fear in fishes is very different from that of humans.

He argues that it is important to first distinguish between pain and the reception of noxious (harmful) stimuli (nociception). Without doubt both fishes and humans respond to noxious stimuli. A fish that has been hooked is obviously responding to a stimulus. Likewise, if you burn yourself, you will very quickly respond to the stimulus, however this response occurs before you feel any pain. Nociception is controlled by the spinal cord and brainstem.

Rose states that the difference in the perception of pain and fear in fishes and humans results from differences in brain structure. The human brain has a massively developed cerebral cortex (the grey folded outer layer). Pain and fear in humans results from the stimulation of several regions of the cerebral cortex. The tiny cerebral cortex of fish brains lack these regions.

The lack of the comparable regions of the brain is one of the arguments that Rose uses to conclude that fishes do not experience pain and fear.

Most of the "everyday behaviour" of a fish is controlled by the brainstem and spinal cord. Experiments in which the cerebral hemispheres of fishes were removed have shown that even without these parts of the brain, fishes can maintain normal function and behaviour. Interestingly a human with complete destruction of the cerebral cortex will still respond to noxious stimuli, but feels no pain.

Despite the apparent lack of pain as we know it in fishes, they most definitely suffer from stress. Rose states that they "display robust nonconscious, neuroendocrine and physiological stress response to noxious stimuli".

In short, if you need to touch a fish, you should remember that the fish may not experience pain the way you do, but it does suffer from stress. Professional ichthyologists follow stringent guidelines to reduce stress when handling fishes.


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