can fish feel pain?

Question

I always hear that they cannot, but I dont understand the chemistry of it.

Answer 1

Yes, they can feel pain. They just dont have facial expressions, so ignorant people think they cant feel it. Have you ever seen a fish on a hook fight? Its because it HURTS!! Fish have blood, nerves, and organs, just like every other living thing.

Answer 2

Textbook on fish anatomy. The only important thing to do is not make the fish suffer any more pain than necessary. Suffer pain? Yes people, fish can feel pain. I am not even going to try to give a lesson in basic fish anatomy, since at the minimum, you should have learned this stuff in your High School biology course work.

So, let us think about the behaviors that you can observe in your own tank. If fish could not feel pain they could not establish territories and raise young. Mr. cichlid would charge in and eat any eggs he wanted completely oblivious to the parents defense since he could not feel the parents biting him. Ever see a fish try to scratch him(her)self? Of course you have not because the fish can not feel the pain caused by the parasites. Ever have to remove an anchor worm? The fish just lays still because he can not feel you pulling the parasite out. All higher lifeforms, fish included, are quite aware of pain. It is mother natures way of saying, "Hey! That is not in the best interest of your survival". Otherwise fish would have been extinct a long time ago.

Answer 3

If fish didn't feel pain, they would be extinct. The reason animals feel pain is to alert them that something is wrong. If you put your hand on a hot stove, your hand hurts, telling you to get it off the stove to avoid injury to your hand. Fish feel the same way. If a fish runs into the tank glass but doesn't feel pain, it would continue to do that until it suffered massive brain damage and died. All animals feel pain because they have nervous systems. This consists of nerve endings that are sensitive to pressure, moisture, and temperature. When these endings are activated, electrochemical signals are sent through an elaborate network of nerve synapses until it reaches the brain, alerting the animal of pain, and telling it to avoid current and future pain.

Soop Nazi

EDIT: I love how 2 people coppied articles from sites or magazines... it shows a true knowledge...

Answer 4

well its not really chemistry...chemistry is the study of matter and how it changes from forms....thats a whole different story. fish do feel pain becuase they have a nerve system which allows them to send messages to the brain and tell the body to do certain things. if they can make themselves move then they can feel pain. if they had voiceboxes...im sure they would be screaming if you jabbed it with a pin.

Answer 5

Yes, many humans assume they cannot just because they don't make vocal sounds and they squirm and struggle to get away. There are many articles that explain it in detail, yahoo or google "Can fish feel pain?"

Answer 6

One of the best tests that they have is a chemical that is designed to cause pain like Bee venom when injected into certain parts of a fish creates a response.

Answer 7

"Can fish feel pain-"article

While it may seem obvious that fish are able to feel pain, like every other animal, some people still think of fish as swimming vegetables. In fact, regarding the ability to feel pain, fish are equal to dogs, cats, and all other animals. Dr. Donald Broom, scientific advisor to the British government, explains, “The scientific literature is quite clear. Anatomically, physiologically and biologically, the pain system in fish is virtually the same as in birds and animals."”

Indeed, neurobiologists have long recognized that fish have nervous systems that comprehend and respond to pain, and anyone who made it through Biology 101 knows that fish have nerves and brains that sense pain, just like all animals. Indeed, scientists tell us that fish brains and nervous systems closely resemble our own. For example, fish (like “higher vertebrates”) have neurotransmitters like endorphins that relieve suffering—of course, the only reason for their nervous systems to produce pain killers is to relieve pain. Claiming that fish do not suffer is as intellectually and scientifically sound as arguing that the Earth is flat.

Interestingly, scientists have created a detailed map of pain receptors in fish's mouths and all over their bodies. A team of researchers at the University of Guelph in Canada recently surveyed the scientific literature on fish pain and intelligence. They concluded that fish feel pain and that “the welfare of fish requires consideration.” Dr. Lynne Sneddon, a scientist of fish biology in the United Kingdom, explains, “Really, it's kind of a moral question. Is your angling more important than the pain to the fish?”

Scientists at Edinburgh University and the Roslin Institute in the United Kingdom report that in response to pain, fish also feel emotional stress and engage in “a ‘rocking’ motion strikingly similar to the kind of motion seen in stressed higher vertebrates like mammals.” The research team concluded that fish clearly experience pain in the same way as mammals, both physically and psychologically. A study by scientists at the Queen's University of Belfast proved that fish learn to avoid pain, just like other animals. Rebecca Dunlop, one of the researchers, said: “This paper shows that pain avoidance in fish doesn't seem to be a reflex response, rather one that is learned, remembered and is changed according to different circumstances. Therefore, if fish can perceive pain, then angling cannot continue to be considered a non-cruel sport.”

As you would expect from animals who we now know to be intelligent and interesting individuals with memories and the capacity to learn, fish can also suffer from fear and anticipation of physical pain. Researchers from universities across America have published research showing that some fish use sound to communicate distress when nets are dipped into their tanks or they are otherwise threatened. In a separate study, researcher William Tavolga found that fish grunted when they received an electric shock. In addition, the fish began to grunt as soon as they saw the electrode, clearly in anticipation of the torment that Tavolga was inflicting on them.

According to Dr. Michael Fox, D.V.M, Ph.D., "Even though fish don't scream [audibly to humans] when they are in pain and anguish, their behavior should be evidence enough of their suffering when they are hooked or netted. They struggle, endeavoring to escape and, by so doing, demonstrate they have a will to survive."

Answer 8

lol.. yes they can feel pain ... and not knowing how to help them that scaring
: (

Answer 9

Dude.. I dunno. But don't try to hurt it! They probably do.. but these days sometimes some things just remain mysteries...