Fish cannot feel pain say scientists
Baku, January 15 (AZERTAC). A study has found that, even when caught on a hook and wriggling, the fish is impervious to pain because it does not have the necessary brain power.
The research, conducted by a team of seven scientists and published in the journal Fish and Fisheries, concluded that the fish’s reaction to being hooked is in fact just an unconscious reaction, rather than a response to pain.
Fish have already been found to have “nociceptors” - sensory receptors that in humans respond to potentially damaging stimuli by sending signals to the brain, allowing them to feel pain.
However, the latest research concluded that the mere presence of the receptors did not mean the animals felt pain, but only triggered a unconscious reaction to the threat.
The latest findings contradict previous research, which suggested that these nociceptors enabled the creatures to feel reflexive and cognitive pain.
In an earlier study done by the University of Edinburgh, rainbow trout were injected in the lips with an acid solution.
Researchers pointed to the fish’s behavioral changes, such as them rubbing their mouths on the gravel, and moving in a rocking motion similar to that seen in stressed mammals, as evidence of pain.
Professor James Rose from the University of Wyoming in the US, who led the study, also found that the fish brain does not contain the highly developed neocortex needed to feel pain, so do not experience it in any meaningful way like humans.
“Modern fishing tackle and techniques mean that fish which are released have an excellent survival rate and if fish are to be eaten, then angling is by far the most sustainable way of catching them.”
An RSPCA spokesman said: “There are a number of studies which we believe provide enough evidence to show that fish do feel pain and this remains our view.”
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