Food for thought

[Broomstick]

This is a short summary of an article that was published recently about fish sentience:

https://www.mq.edu.au/newsroom/2017/10/ ... ation-too/

Basically, it states that the growing consensus in the scientific community is that fish feel pain in the same way as humans, but fish welfare is almost non-existent. I constantly struggle with the ethical dilemmas associated with fishing, but my love for catching fish always outweighs my conscience. These articles make me stop and think twice though.

[hornet]

I tend to agree that fish do feel pain due to having nerves in their bodies like humans, if you stab them yes there will be pain...
However the mouth area has mostly bony plate or tough gristle, this area would cause some discomfort much like a tooth ache when hooked but not intense pain. So the fish fight would be the instinct to get away not a frenzied run because of pain. Just my thoughts on the subject.

[rb85]

It won’t stop me fishing. Just reinforces why we should respect our catch / by catch

[Sinsemilla]

Im with you hornet.

In my opinion, they feel pain, otherwise they wouldn't learn what not to go near, but not exactly the way humans do.

People get lip/nose/eyebrow rings all the time.. apparently they don't hurt that much..

Anth

[Texas]

Plants feel pain (except the marijuana plant), so of course fish, insects, worms etc feel pain.
What is better, as sore lip/jaw and (possible) release or
being in a yard and watching your mates get a bolt through the head, knowing your time will come.
I should be a vegan, but, I love meat.

Gra

[Kimtown]

I've always wondered why inflicting pain and suffocation to fish doesnt phase me (I don't enjoy it but I can tolerate it), but if I seen someone do that to a cat, dog, rabbit, or basically any other mammal I would go 0-100 on their ass

[piscateur]

I'm no biologist and would not know anymore that anyone else on this subject. The way I bounce it in my head, is generally when you see animals that's in pain they will generally stop struggling against that pain. ie if movement causes more pain it will stay still if that relieves the pain, but a fish will generally keep fighting, but who knows how a fishes brain works.
The other point of my reasoning some of the fishes food on would be sharp, spiky etc so maybe the pain receptors in the mouth area are less like to feel pain? who knows.
It is something I struggle with as well. hence the move to lure fishing which generally results in a lip hooked fish and better release prospects.

[Bayrock]

Read Lyal Watson's seminal work "Supernature" about the pain response in plants. Mind blown. And vegetarians have a problem.

[Broomstick]

Plants feel pain (except the marijuana plant), so of course fish, insects, worms etc feel pain.
What is better, as sore lip/jaw and (possible) release or
being in a yard and watching your mates get a bolt through the head, knowing your time will come.
I should be a vegan, but, I love meat.

Gra

Haha me too Gra.

[Broomstick]

Read Lyal Watson's seminal work "Supernature" about the pain response in plants. Mind blown. And vegetarians have a problem.

I'm a big Lyall Watson fan. Some of his ideas are a bit whacky, but he was a genius when it came to communicating complex scientific ideas to the general public, and he had a wonderful turn of phrase. One of my favourites: "If the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn't".