When you hook a fish does it hurt?

Question

I was just wondering, i've gone fishing before with my dad and it looks so painful, but does it really hurt?

(does it hurt the fish) or is it numb?

Answer 1

NO!!! They don't have the nervous system that mammals or reptiles and amphibians have.They do feel pain but not in the sense that most creatures do.They probably feel like when the doctor gives you a shot, a slight pinch and it's over.Thats why I've caught Carp that have broken my line only to catch the same fish hours later and get my hook back.

Answer 2

Hi little miss vintage,

I'm glad you're concerned about what the fish feel.

I have been working/volunteering with fish biologists for over 15 years at the Seymour River Fish Hatchery in North Vancouver and get asked this question a lot.

Rest assured that a fish hooked in the mouth feels very little if any pain at all. There are several good reasons for this.

One: There are very few nerves located in the mouth.
Two: The inside of a fishes mouth is mostly made up of cartilage which has no nerve endings.
Three: There are virtually none in the maxillary bone, (upper lip) or the lower lip.
Four: There are very few nerve endings on the vomer (located behind the tongue).

We have seen fish caught and released only to be re-caught less than 20 minutes later. This then can serve as evidence that fish do not experience pain from being hooked. This being said, if an angler is horsing his fish in (and I really hate seeing people do that) the extra force they're putting on the fish can damage the fishes mouth. This isn't the hook doing the harm, rather this is the fisherman causing the unnecessary harm to the fish now. (Hint) don't use a hook that's too big and to add more excitement to your fishing and further reduce the harm which may come to a hooked fish, crimp down the barb on the hooks you're using. Thanks.

It was a pleasure to answer your question miss vintage. I hope you can fish conscience free now and continue to do so because fishing with your Dad is important to him.

Answer 3

some human beings do not imagine that it hurts them. yet notwithstanding it really is reducing a hollow of their epidermis. I truly have lengthy gone fishing with human beings and someone capture a fish and let it flow then 10 minutes later some different person capture the very similar fish nevertheless with the previous hook mark and each little thing. It would not kill them if that's what you mean, yet no individual knows if it truly hurts them or no longer.

Answer 4

I hope it hurts like hell.In fact,I set the hook multiple times hoping to cause as much suffering as possible.I agree with the osprey point of view.Nature is harsh,and we as humans with feelings and emotions sometimes try to "relate" too much with animals.I have hooked and landed the same trout 3x in 10 min and the last time he just came in without any initial reaction at all.He was tired out,but if it hurt,I imagine he would have jerked.In a lifetime of fishing--this is the only time that I know that a tired fish was re-hooked twice quickly,and his reaction of "pain" isolated from being attached to a line,suddenly,which would spook a fish into fighting frantically.No one will ever know,though.....

Answer 5

Yes fish do feel something! They have nerve recepters in the brain and studies have shown that they do have reactions based from noxious stimuli! BUT that does not mean they feel pain as we would feel it, they would be reacting to stimuli and not pain as more of a discomfort!
Look at what a fish would normally eat!There have been many studies and debate on fishing is it cruel or not! Just think of the nature of things to be ripped apart and eaten alive by turtles,birds,animals or other fish!

Answer 6

I guess it does, a lot. Pain isn't a punishment, it is a process by which the body of a living animal reports damage to the brain.

If you try to catch a fish with your hands, it swims away, it feels fear. If it is hungry it will feed, it feels hunger. If these mechanisms work the way ours do why would anyone think that the pain mechanism has been disabled?

By the way, Boot. do you define liberals as people who have a sympathy for animals and aversion to causing them pain? I think that humane would be a most apt word than liberal. Or do you think there are no humane conservatives?

Answer 7

I never heard a fish complain. Seriously, the fish has no nerve endings in the mouth area. If the hook gets into the throat area, I'm sure that's painful. Reason, a fish fights harder when the hook is in the throat than we it's in the lip area.

Answer 8

Fish don't feel pain? Wow!

It probably hurts the darn things, but what goes through the mind of a cow being lined up at the slaughter-house?

(sorry)

But they do get a little smarter for being caught, and if somebody keeps it, it's just a bonk on the head, and lights out. That's not what Osprey do.

Answer 9

It does hurt it some, but its pain sensors arent near as sensaitive as ours. Say you had a hook, in your mouth, you would freak out, start screaming, and jump around adn just go crazy, where a fish, is just thinking, o this sint food, this hurts a little get this out of my mouth. It was on Bill Dances April question i think.

Answer 10

WOW, I just have to respond to Graham.

A tuna isn't a fish, it's a mammal? Please cite your source for this mind blowing information. I'd love to see when zoology got turned on it's ear and redefined the definition of a mammal. Either that or there's a brand new species of tuna that's been found and has been kept as secret as who was on the grassy knoll or the car engine that runs strictly off air....

Fish have gills, mammals don't (tuna have gills). Mammals have mammary glands that produce milk for their young, fish don't (tuna don't have mammary glands).