Do Fish feel pain?

pds · 5 May 2003 at 03:01

Ok then I am a passionate Angler and I'm really angry about the
news coverage about the findings from the sneddon report wich concluded that fish may be capable of feeling pain. But there was no mention of another recently published report by Dr Rose in the USA.

If this subject interests you please take a look at this.
http://www.cotrout.org/do_fish_feel_pain.htm

And the other report can be read here.
http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/templates/press/showpresspage.cfm?file=446.txt

P@UL

pds · 5 May 2003 at 03:25

Yes thats true but some people would have taken that report as fact after reading it in the paper or seeing it on the news.

And thats what the antis want.

Paul

pds · 5 May 2003 at 09:57

One of the ways I look at it is if you put your hand under a cold tap for a while it will soon become very painfull and soon after it will become numb and you won't feel a thing even if you stuck a knife through your hand.

Now fish live at these temps all the time. Temps that would soon kill a human so how can they compare human physiology to that of a fish.

Also in the sneddon report she says the fish that were injected with venom showed signs of stress which is understandable. But the fish that were injected with saline did not, proving that its not the injection that harmed the fish but the substance they injected.

Paul

pds · 5 May 2003 at 10:22

Originally posted by Lostkat
Sorry but you just can't make that analogy. Not even about high and low temps. Every animal is adapted to its environment and has different upper and lower temperature thresholds, so what's cold for humans may be warm for fish. If you put coldwater fish in water at 30 degrees c, they'd almost certainly die. You're right about them not being able to compare human physiology/behaviour to fish physiology/behaviour though.

It's a common problem in behavioural studies, we humanise our subjects even when we know full well that our behavioural repertoires are worlds apart.

Touche'. I think i'll have to rethink thatt one

Paul

pds · 5 May 2003 at 14:27

Re: Re: Do Fish feel pain?

Originally posted by NeoNemesis
Who cares?

There are certain groups such as PETA who want angling to be banned on the grounds that fish feel pain and say its a cruel activity.

To do this they will use the media to spread their propaganda to gradually soften resistance to their ideas. which I may add go well beyond just angling.

If you have no interest in the subject why post?

paul