Fish feel pain????? 2024

Pond-Pro reply :

Do fish feel pain when we hook them? I would like to think that they don't. What is your opinion? ???

Cephkiller reply :

Please don't open up this can of worms!!!!! Maybe discuss it at p**a.org, but not here. I, for one, don't even want to know.

Skeeter6598 reply :

AMEN Cephkiller!

gamblerOH reply :

I like to think that they enjoy getting a hook through their jaw!! If this is actually a concern, you may want to take up another sport such as birdwatching.

coldsteel reply :

lol..birdwatching! that was in some magazine i recently read...cant remember which one tho,...Anyway. NO...if they did why do they kep eating lures?lol dont bother me any. FISH ARE GOOD EATIN!

mullman reply :

Some scientist did a study on this and found that the fish brain is incapable of feeling pain. They don't have the right kind of brain structure and nervous system or something like that.

Now, where did I put my pocket protector...

Cephkiller reply :

I heard that watching birds makes them nervous. One really shouldn't exploit one's natural resources that way ;D

Pond-Pro reply :

No where in my post did I say that I would stop fishing if they feel pain. I personaly don't care. My friend does not fish because he says that It hurts the fish to hook them. > Thank you Mullman for your half way intelligent post.

Cephkiller reply :

Hi Pond-Pro. Actually, I was only kidding in both of my posts. That is hard to convey via the written word. My opinion is reflected in the posts, but I meant it in the nicest possible way. Perhaps I should have made use of some smilies? Anyway, my sentiment remains, but I certainly did not mean to offend you. I didn't realize that one must agree with you to reflect intelligence. I shall strive to do better in the future ;D

NBR reply :

As mullman said there was a study several years ago that concluded that fish don't feel pain. This was a university study and as well as I can recall it was at the University of Tennessee but that is a pure guess. A few years ago PETA commissioned a study that concluded they do feel pain but then you have to look at who sponsered the study and paid for the desired results.

squid reply :

I would hope not...with all the testing I did on fish when I was a kid...lol firecrackers and other things. Man those were the good ole days...lol

Raul reply :

Those studies are a lot of hot air, fish, like any other vetebrate can feel pain, pain is a primordial sense like hearing or seeing and it 's necessary for survival, why do you think Port Jackson sharks have spines on their backs ? and we 're talking about a less evolved vetebrate than fish, does this mean that fish feel pain the same way we do ? no, they do not feel the pain the way we do simply because we mamals have a different level of pain, fish have a much higher level of pain tolerance but that doesn 't mean that they don 't feel pain.

hookem19 reply :

haha squid i know what you are talking about...firecrackers and even batting practice with the smaller fish and paddles.... i'm sure they didn't feel a thing

squid reply :

hummmm...lol...did you grow up in my neighborhood?...lol

cedar1 reply :

Pond Pro Your friend could one day become your enemy. Does he eat chicken or wear leather?

Don_B reply :

I doubt it. They probably just feel pressure in their mouths. They could probably feel something if you stabbed them through their body with a knife or something though. I don't feel sorry for fish, but I wouldn't fillet them if they were still alive.

Daniel_Hwang reply :

The skin on their mouths are so thin, I don't think they nave any nerves to feel the pain, unless you hook it deep or snag it on the side, but not in the mouth.

Nick_Barr reply :

I have heard they do not have nerve endings in their mouths.

abelfisher reply :

Question: If there was conclusive evidence that fish DID feel pain, would any of you quit fishing? Isn't this the real question? Thanks!

Glenn reply :

This is probably one of the best articles I've seen on the subject. It answers this question very well.

http://www.fishontario.com/articles/do-fish-feel-pain/

mbresnan13 reply :

Quote
Question: If there was conclusive evidence that fish DID feel pain, would any of you quit fishing? Isn't this the real question? Thanks!

I wouldn't.

Quote
I doubt it. They probably just feel pressure in their mouths. They could probably feel something if you stabbed them through their body with a knife or something though. I don't feel sorry for fish, but I wouldn't fillet them if they were still alive.

Me neither. The only time i felt sorry for them was when i was on the ocean and i was catching blues. I went out with a guide and every fish we pulled in he cut it open and ripped out the guts and the heart. My guide had a liking of ripping out the heart and holding the still beating heart in his hand. Poor fish.

back on topic, I don't think they feel much pain in the lip but i think it would hurt if someone did what my guide did.

Make sure to kill fish humanely with a priest and not carving it up.

mullman reply :

Glenn,

That was the study I was thinking of:

"Fish don't possess a neo-cortex. They literally don't have the brain system to feel pain or other emotions like fear."

Fisher of Men reply :

Issue #1- Fish pain/PETA

I would opt to believe that they don't feel pain, but can sense pressure on the line, thus their need to fight and get away. Either way, I'm still going to fish. I'll never believe anything that PETA says due to their extreme methods against hunters and anglers. I have read where they once put broken glass in canned dog food on hunting trails so the hunting dogs would eat it and die. There's a group of them in Southeastern Oklahoma (yes, it shocked me to know they were this close to me) who have been known to puncture the tires on the State fish hatchery vehicles and vandalize their equipment. How can any group of people ever gain respect doing things like that? I guess we anglers and hunters should realize that, too. Any irresponsible behavior on our part doesn't make our group look good either. Public perception is important.

Issue #2- Birdwatchers

As much as I think this hobby might might not be "up our alley", we should respect these people's desire to come outdoors and share the joy that we experience fishing and hunting. Birding (the official term) is one of the top hobbies (right up with hunting and fishing) here in Texas and they pay entrance fees into parks and purchase sporting equipment that generates tax revenue for conservation (i.e. Pittman-Robertson Act). Also, being in close contact with some of them, we should learn to be kind to our "outdoor neighbors" and strive to keep them happy. When the day comes to keep or cull sportfishing as a sport, we need as many people on our side as possible.

I look at it this way:

Sportfishing and access to public waters is like hunting. They are both a privilege, not a right.

We must do all we can to preserve that privilege and not give anyone a reason to take it away.

-God bless,

Fisher

Username reply :

I have a feeling that if fish felt pain, then i'd have a couple of fish with a real bad headache right now.

If your from virginia you might remember the PETA people a few years back, marching around naked outside of one of the malls. Do these people have any self decency? What if my child happened to be shopping that day and saw them standing out there naked? At first it seems kinda funny to me, hearing the line "Daddy whats that?" But, think about the image your easily influenced 5 year old child could have had in his/her head for the next few years.

Birdwatching? Anymore i'm doing that from the front deck of my boat every time i go fishing. Things are sure slowwwwwwwwwww. Only fish caught in the past 3 trips are 2 pike!

NJ_Stump_Grinder reply :

Birdwatching......... funny you should bring it up....

Last year I joined up with the local birwatching club just to see what it was all about.

You should see how some of these folks get into it with all their fancy glasses, cameras, and telescopes.........

Kinda reminds me of how some of us anglers get carried away with our gear.

Aaaaanyway, seeing as how I really couldn't enjoy the birdwatching properly with my el-cheapo set of binoculars......... and I couldn't afford a $1000 setup to SEE them up close, I decided on a little common sense and ingenuity.

My logic told me that instead of spending the big bucks on optics, my perfectly good 12 guage would basically do the same thing.

After a few well placed shots, I was able to see all the birds I wanted up REAL close....... for as long as I wanted.

Needless to say, the birdwatching "club" thing didn't really work out for me.

Iceman reply :

I really wouldn't know if fish get hurt when hooked, but they sure react as if they are hurt!

Yankee_lake reply :

you also have to remember that the strongest survive and well we're stronger then fish so we win. I'm sure if the fish could eat us they would, they dont think twice about eating livebait or our lures!!

Snag reply :

I wish I could have all the worms that came out of that can that was opened with that thread.. Great bait.lol.. Anyhow, great artical Glenn and I'm still for fishing. If you get a hook in your finger it heals right? Well, take care of your fish and release them carefully or as stated before, kill them humainly for eating. We as fisherman, especially tournament fisherman are already a "spot" in the public eye. Lets treat our fish carefully and respect the sport and we can all have a clean conscience. Thats my .02.

Later all,

Snag

sinker48 reply :

I don't believe fish feel pain. All fish have a brain the size of a pea capable of three things not sure these are right but I think they are reproduction, food intake, and escaping predators. One half of a fishes brain does not communicate with the other if a lure is taken on the right side and released same lure passes left side fish may bite again.

In European countries when they catch and release fish they have ointment they put on injuries.

Good Luck!

Sinker48

Muddpuppy reply :

With my back and legs I dought if it hurts them much worse to be caught then it does for me to catch them. And besides anything that would try to eat something that looks like a creature or spinner bait is just asking for trouble and probably use to some pain. I have seen some take a lure repeatedly (If it wasn't the same fish it was a clone) and it didn't seem to have a tramatic effect on them.

chefxian reply :

Pierce your ear

Chris reply :

If a fish was able to feel pain like we do then they wouldn't eat bluegills or crawfish.

Muddpuppy reply :

I personally believe bass fishing is the best thing that has ever happened to the species. They have been introduced into waters world wide, lakes and habitats are being desined to help the fish thrive. Their greatest predator is it's self, most others get removed. Their numbers have soared and yet they have become a virtual "protected spicies" I would be more concerned for their well being if we were to quit fishing for them. In the real world nature is a rough and hostile place, fish and animals fight for what they want and need. Pain isn't an issue with them like it is for us. I have never landed a fish that I considered to be in agony. I compare getting caught like haveing a job. If you want all the good stuff, you have to put up with a little aggrivation every once in awhile.

If it was proven or I believed that fish do feel pain and experience severe pain, by being caught, I might consider to stop sportfishg. Fishing for food would be anouther matter. But even the humman brain does not remember pain, you do howeve retain thaughts and associated events.

GobbleDog reply :

I bet they do feel pain, but when you hook into a fish, I think they're mostly feeling fear .

I doubt they feel actual pain in the cartalidge part of their mouth. That's like putting a hook through your finglernail. But if you hook them in the gut or the roof of his mouth.... yeah, I definately think they feel it and it probably doesn't feel too good.

Rattlinrogue reply :

If they do feel pain,it couldn't be any worse than what I feel in my 3 bulging discs in my back when I set the hook...LoL

NickM reply :

This is a wasted, useless discusion. Who cares!?

-Nick ???

catnip reply :

Quote
This is a wasted, useless discusion. Who cares!?
-Nick ???

It's one of the longer threads on the page, so I guess quite a few people care. Most humans do not take pleasure in inflicting pain and the idea that we, as sportsman, may be inflicting pain on a level equal to the pain that we feel might be somewhat disconcerting. I, for one, don't believe that fish don't process pain in the same way that we process it. Most of the pain that we feel is driven by the emotion of the moment (true agonizing pain). I don't believe that fish feel the combination of pain AND emotional trauma that humans feel. I don't doubt that on some level fish feel pain...it's a survival instinct. I don't believe that they school in 12 step programs afterward to get over the trauma of the incident. They go right back to bedding, spawning, whatever.

GAMEOVER reply :

Well I hope they dont, but it wouldnt change my fishing habbits if it did hurt them. Theres room for pain in any sport fishings no different.

What I really hate though is idiots I see around here sometimes just rippin in little blue gills that bass could eat, throwing them up in the air, and blasting em with a bat into the water. What morons.

CrazedL.IFisherman reply :

I agree that most likely they do not feel pain in their mouths' but i do feel if you gut hook a bass at the least, it does feel uncomfortable, i do feel guilty ever once in awhile that they might feel pain or if a bass is bleeding, but i do my best to get all of the hook out, return them as normal as possible, and as quickly as possible so theres the least amount of stress on the bass, but regardless id still be fishing, i even try to make feelow anglers in ny look better for example the ones who leave their garbage scattered near the boat launches, i pick it up and discard of the trash properly, if we do have the privledge to fish then might as well protect mother nature and watch out for her

George Welcome reply :

No one, I repeat no one knows whether this thing we call pain in Humans, in any way relates to whatever bass feel when hooked.

However, we do that anatomically their nerve structures are vastly different, and that the area that we deal with, (mouth and throat), has to be severely desensitized in order for them to eat what they do.

If you are around long enough it might be possible for you to sit down and have a conversation with a bass as they become more educated, but until then it's up in the air.

RobDar reply :

fish have a very limited central nervous system. Do they feel pain? Science says NO. End of discussion as far as I am concerned.

guest reply :

Let's stop kidding ouselves ok?

Fish absolutely feel pain.

I don't know what "science" is being referred too that says they do not but that is nonesense.

Think about it.

They smell

They taste

They hear

They see

We all know they have four senses plus the added sensativity of the lateral line,

but we delude ourselves into thinking they don't feel? Have you ever simply touched a fish? Did you get a reaction?

C'mon guys. We do what we do because thats what we do.

Let's not get all girlie about fishing not being a "blood sport".

It is.

Bass Smacker reply :

Quote
Question: If there was conclusive evidence that fish DID feel pain, would any of you quit fishing? Isn't this the real question? Thanks!

Call me cruel but UM ER .......... NO

gatrboy53 reply :

all living creatures feel pain but its not the same as a human feels pain. god made only man w/ reasoning skills to assemalate what pain is.i have castrated many hogs and calfs.no anasthesia or pain reliever and they scream bloody murder.take a razor knife and slit his sack and reach in and pull out his testies.pack it w/ SALT and let him go.w/in min. hes up and moving about and eating and doing the things pigs do.you do that to a human and he could die.animals fish included do not reason that what they feel is pain.the sensation they know they feel has a reaction but they dont think hurt,or pain or anything else.thats why its alright to kill a animal,fish, deer, cow, bird,they dont REASON senses. senses are instinct to an animal .they also dont feel glad, happy,or joy either

nboucher reply :

Avid and Raul are right. As vertebrates, of course fish feel pain. This is not a matter of opinion. I happen to be reading John McPhee's The Founding

Fish, and in his last chapter he reviews all the studies on this, including PETA's. Aside from being a brilliant writer, McPhee is a fanatical fisherman, especially of shad, which he catches and eats in great quantities. But he doesn't shy away from the fact that fishing causes pain to the individual fish being hooked. What's not known is whether fish have any emotional processing of pain the way we do, and given that you can hook the same fish over and over again, they probably do not. It is probably a temporary, really unpleasant sensation that they forget when they're back in the water feeding. We fish despite the pain fish feel; "believing" a fish doesn't feel any pain is just being in denial.

As for birdwatching, I've been doing it for 34 years, ever since I took ornithology in college, and there is NO contradiction between it and fishing. What's with the silly anti-birdwatching stereotyping? To me, nature is what I'm looking to experience in all ways and in any way I can, whether through angling, mountaineering, hunting, birding, hiking, scuba diving, etc. No, I don't have thousands of dollars in optics--just a pair of $60 binoculars and a $100 telescope. Just as I like to study fish to become a better angler and appreciator of nature, I like to watch birds and marvel at their natural history and their ability, often, to fly 6,000 miles a year in this crazy thing called migration. Birds are beautiful and canny survivors, and they, like fish, are all part of a magnificent natural world that, thanks to our ignorance and inaction, is fast disappearing. So instead of trashing birders, how about joining with them to help prevent a local wetland from getting filled in? There is too much destruction going on out there to create false divisions among those who love the natural world.

Sorry about the rant.

Bass Smacker reply :

Quote
all living creatures feel pain but its not the same as a human feels pain. god made only man w/ reasoning skills to assemalate what pain is.i have castrated many hogs and calfs.no anasthesia or pain reliever and they scream bloody murder.take a razor knife and slit his sack and reach in and pull out his testies.pack it w/ SALT and let him go.w/in min. hes up and moving about and eating and doing the things pigs do.you do that to a human and he could die.animals fish included do not reason that what they feel is pain.the sensation they know they feel has a reaction but they dont think hurt,or pain or anything else.thats why its alright to kill a animal,fish, deer, cow, bird,they dont REASON senses. senses are instinct to an animal .they also dont feel glad, happy,or joy either

AMEN

I had this very talk with all my kids. (All of us should before PETA dose)

my oldest seen a stray cat eating road kill. She was mad at the cat. I explaned to her and my youngest two thats how the world works. Animals are animals and thats what they do . Its not wrong and that animals have no real sence of life and death love or hate. Just eat, survive and reperduce.

K_Mac reply :

Quote
Avid and Raul are right. As vertebrates, of course fish feel pain. This is not a matter of opinion. I happen to be reading John McPhee's The Founding
Fish, and in his last chapter he reviews all the studies on this, including PETA's. Aside from being a brilliant writer, McPhee is a fanatical fisherman, especially of shad, which he catches and eats in great quantities. But he doesn't shy away from the fact that fishing causes pain to the individual fish being hooked. What's not known is whether fish have any emotional processing of pain the way we do, and given that you can hook the same fish over and over again, they probably do not. It is probably a temporary, really unpleasant sensation that they forget when they're back in the water feeding. We fish despite the pain fish feel; "believing" a fish doesn't feel any pain is just being in denial.

As for birdwatching, I've been doing it for 34 years, ever since I took ornithology in college, and there is NO contradiction between it and fishing. What's with the silly anti-birdwatching stereotyping? To me, nature is what I'm looking to experience in all ways and in any way I can, whether through angling, mountaineering, birding, hiking, scuba diving, etc. No, I don't have thousands of dollars in optics--just a pair of $60 binoculars and a $100 telescope. Just as I like to study fish to become a better angler and appreciator of nature, I like to watch birds and marvel at their natural history and their ability, often, to fly 6,000 miles a year in this crazy thing called migration. Birds are beautiful and canny survivors, and they, like fish, are all part of a magnificent natural world that, thanks to our ignorance and inaction, is fast disappearing. So instead of trashing birders, how about joining with them to help prevent a local wetland from getting filled in? There is too much destruction going on out there to create false divisions among those who love the natural world.

Sorry about the rant.

nboucher

I completely agree with you with the exception of the "rant" comment. That was not a rant, but a couple of thoughtful comments on several interesting issues (IMHO).Thanks.

BTW, am not a "birder" in any official sense, but do enjoy them as part of the outdoor experience. I feel the same about hunting quail, doves, or waterfowl as I do about fishing; they are a part of creation and a renewable resource that we are responsible for protecting.

Replica. reply :

Quote

Quote
all living creatures feel pain but its not the same as a human feels pain. god made only man w/ reasoning skills to assemalate what pain is.i have castrated many hogs and calfs.no anasthesia or pain reliever and they scream bloody murder.take a razor knife and slit his sack and reach in and pull out his testies.pack it w/ SALT and let him go.w/in min. hes up and moving about and eating and doing the things pigs do.you do that to a human and he could die.animals fish included do not reason that what they feel is pain.the sensation they know they feel has a reaction but they dont think hurt,or pain or anything else.thats why its alright to kill a animal,fish, deer, cow, bird,they dont REASON senses. senses are instinct to an animal .they also dont feel glad, happy,or joy either

AMEN

I had this very talk with all my kids. (All of us should before PETA dose)

my oldest seen a stray cat eating road kill. She was mad at the cat. I explaned to her and my youngest two thats how the world works. Animals are animals and thats what they do . Its not wrong and that animals have no real sence of life and death love or hate. Just eat, survive and reperduce.

I hate PETA like most sportsman do, but why do dogs wag their tail and go crazy when they see their owner if they can not feel joy or happiness?

CoRy reply :

I THINK fish DO feel pain, but NOT in their mouth. all of my post is 100% oppinion. IF a fish can feel in their mouth, a hook gets shoved through so fast and it is so sharp, i highly doubt they feel anything. Their mouths are practicly transparent, and because of that i think they don't feel pain. even if they do, i will always keep on fishin

nboucher reply :

Maybe, CoRy, but have you ever gut-hooked a fish? The ones I have seem to bleed pretty red

Nobody on this forum asking anyone to stop fishing. But if you're fishing only because you think fish don't feel anything, well . . . you may be fooling yourself. I think the point is that the more realistic and knowledgeable we are about what we're doing, the better able we are to do it in a way that's as respectful of the fish as possible. Or the grouse, or the deer, etc. . . .

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