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Can Fish Feel Pain?

Article written by Life as a pet

Fish look gorgeous in the water, swimming gracefully without a care in the world. When they are taken out of water however, they squirm for seconds and then they stop. We know that they squirm because they are deprived of oxygen which water provides for them. We also know that they stop squirming and eventually die because of the lack of that Oxygen. However, no one really wonders if they feel pain.

Fishermen and even folks who fish for sport believe that any fish’s brain  is too tiny and more so, it is devoid of nerves that render them capable of sensations such as pain. Unlike animals like mice and mammals, fish were believed to be “cold”, thus unfeeling.

According to a new research, fish can apparently feel pain. In what ways can they feel pain?  When the hook from a fishing line plunges their mouth and pierces their guts, they feel pain. When a Sushi chef grips a fish’s tail and pulls it out of water, and cuts off its head, they feel pain too, no matter how momentary it is.

Apparently, fish do have nerve endings that tell them to recognize pain. The difference between fish and other animals is their brain’s ability to react. When fish feel pain, they can’t do much. They do not have voices to squeal or scream, nor do they have paws to violently lash out at the oppressor. Only fishing enthusiasts insist that fish do not feel pain, just like deer hunters continuously insist that deer and other mammals cannot hurt when hunted.