The wild wriggling and squirming fish do when they're hooked and pulled from the water during catch-and-release fishing isn't just an automatic response—it's a conscious reaction to the pain they feel when a hook pierces their lips, jaws, or body.
“Fish do feel pain. It's likely different from what humans feel, but it is still a kind of pain.” At the anatomical level, fish have neurons known as nociceptors, which detect potential harm, such as high temperatures, intense pressure, and caustic chemicals.
Physiological stress is not pain
The underlying assumption in these cases is that if a fish is exposed to a stimulus that triggers both increased cortisol and behavioural responses, then that fish must be consciously feeling that stimulus as a mental state such as fear and/or pain.
The nociceptor then sends an electric signal to the brain, where the psychological experience of pain manifests. Fish have numerous nociceptors in their mouths and thus getting hooked is certainly a painful experience for them.
Fish do not feel pain the way humans do, according to a team of neurobiologists, behavioral ecologists and fishery scientists. The researchers conclude that fish do not have the neuro-physiological capacity for a conscious awareness of pain. Fish do not feel pain the way humans do.
The naked mole-rat is impervious to certain kinds of pain. It's not alone | NOVA | PBS.
Numerous studies in recent years have demonstrated that fish feel and react to pain. For example, when rainbow trout had painful acetic acid or bee venom injected into their sensitive lips, they stopped eating, rocked back and forth on the tank floor, and rubbed their lips against the tank walls.
Researchers find that wild cleaner fishes can remember being caught up to 11 months after the fact, and actively try to avoid getting caught again. ABSTRACT ONLY.
Fishes do have the ability to learn to recognize and avoid hooks and lures (see below), but in many cases, this only occurs where there are high rates of escapement or where fishes are deliberately returned to the water after capture (e.g., angling, recreational fisheries).
It's a way for them to interact, and it can be fun for them. They also might be working on growing their little families in the near future. One fish might try to chase another fish out of its territory, but doesn't actually plan to hurt the trespasser if it doesn't have to.
Yes, fish feel pain
The American Veterinary Medical Association states in their guidelines for euthanizing animals that fish “should be accorded the same considerations as terrestrial vertebrates in regard to relief from pain.”
Here is a news article I found on the topic: Worms on a Hook Don't Suffer? OSLO (Reuters) - Worms squirming on a fishhook feel no pain -- nor do lobsters and crabs cooked in boiling water, a scientific study funded by the Norwegian government has found.
Scientists have just observed a thought swimming through the brain of a live fish, and that thought concerned getting something good to eat. Fish and other wild animals appear to think a lot about food: how to obtain it and what to consume.
“Barotrauma” is the term used to describe any of the number of injuries, or trauma, a fish may receive from rapid changes in barometric pressures. For fish caught by anglers, these rapid pressure changes occur when fish are reeled to the surface from deep water.
Fish are caught less often as they learn to avoid baits and lures. A recent INHS study evaluated the question of how that learning happens. One way that fish learn about their environment is through social interactions with other fish of the same species.
Anglers mostly believe fish do not feel the sting of the hook in the mouth, that the act of catching them is harmless to their survival. Animal rights activists maintain the opposite, saying fishing is cruel and barbaric, a type of torture perpetrated on fish solely for the sadistic amusement of humans.
They have sensitive nervous systems with similarities to other species. The act of fishing, whether commercial or recreational, not only causes these animals physical pain but also results in exhaustion from fighting against being pulled to their deaths.
Fortunately, the researchers at Carleton University's Cooke Lab found that fish were able to shake the lures in a relatively short amount of time, even when hooked deep in the mouth: “By and large, most of the lures were shed in a relatively short period of time.
Scientists differ on the degree to which fish can have consciousness. Some researchers argue that they cannot have consciousness as their brain is simple, lacking a cerebral cortex, and they have little capacity for learning and memory, a very simple behavioral repertoire, and no ability to experience suffering.
We've found through our studies that fish do have a memory. “For example, if a bass is caught on a spinnerbait one day, it's almost impossible to catch that fish on the same lure the next day. And if it is exposed to that bait every couple days for a week or so, it could be 20 days before it will strike the lure again.
While fish are low maintenance, they do need supervision, especially if your child is taking care of them. You'll want to ensure their water is clean and that all of the fish look healthy.
But the researchers did not know what would happen if the fish encountered a familiar face from unfamiliar angles. Now, in a study described last November in Animal Behaviour, they have demonstrated that the fish can recognize the same face turned to the side by 30, 60 and 90 degrees—a nontrivial task.
If your aquarium fish is seriously ill, it's more humane to kill it than to let it suffer. A fresh-caught fish will inevitably feel some pain, but there are ways to minimize this and kill it quickly.
Yes, fish experience both physical and emotional pain. Scientists say that it's likely a different type than what humans experience, but it's pain nonetheless. Fish have nerve cell endings called nociceptors, which alert their bodies to potential harm such as high temperatures, intense pressure, and harmful chemicals.
Squeezing the fish can damage the internal organs and muscle tissue. It's also important to remember that you should never hold a fish by the gills. Certain species of fish are more delicate than others. This means you should make every effort to learn about the anatomy and physiology of the species you are targeting.