Fishing Forum

[fishin]

Do fish feel pain? Does it hurt them to be hooked?

This may seem like a very silly question, but I guess you don't know unless you ask, right? Thanks for answering.
[signature]

According to some sources, there is an amount of pain that they feel. Other sources state that by fighting the fish for long periods of time does more damage to them then just getting hooked in the mouth.

The second one make more sense since a Bass will have several scars in it's mouth when I catch one but it is still alive and ready to do what it knows best.

Strike on impulse, hunger or just reaction.

Who are you to believe? The people that preach "Pain" or the people that let you know of multiple holes in the lips of a fish that was dumb enough to hit a different lure that wasn't familiar to it?[cool]
[signature]

im sure they feel some pain but there is worse things than hooked in the mouth
[signature]

[fishin]

Thanks guys. I was just wondering.
[signature]

Their mouths are composed of mostly cartilage and flesh. Pinch your ear lobe, that's probably similar to what they feel. Also, think about how sharp your hooks are. The sharper they are, the less they hurt because they make a quicker set. Do your part! Buy new hooks! I'm going to rebuild my box because some of my tackle is rusty, and if the terminal tackle is rusty, well, that is not acceptable! Don't fear catching the big one just because you think you'll hurt it. Afterall, its just a dumb animal. (Joking)[fishin]
[signature]

I just found an interesting article from the BBC news. This should answer some questions as well as raise a little more doubt.



Fish do feel pain, scientists say
By Alex Kirby
BBC News Online environment correspondent

The first conclusive evidence of pain perception in fish is said to have been found by UK scientists.
This complements earlier findings that both birds and mammals can feel pain, and challenges assertions that fish are impervious to it. The scientists found sites in the heads of rainbow trout that responded to damaging stimuli. They also found the fish showed marked reactions when exposed to harmful substances. The argument over whether fish feel pain has long been a subject of dispute between anglers and animal rights activists. The research, by a team from the Roslin Institute and the University of Edinburgh, is published in Proceedings B of the Royal Society, the UK's national academy of science. The researchers, led by Dr Lynne Sneddon, say the "profound behavioural and physiological changes" shown by the trout after exposure to noxious substances are comparable to those seen in higher mammals. They investigated the fish for the presence of nociceptors, sites that respond to tissue-damaging stimuli. Multiple sensitivity The researchers applied mechanical, thermal and chemical stimuli to the heads of anaesthetised fish and recorded their neural activity. Dr Sneddon said: "We found 58 receptors located on the face and head of the trout that responded to at least one of the stimuli.
Fish just don't have the brains to recognise pain
Dr Bruno Broughton
National Angling Alliance
"Of these, 22 could be classified as nociceptors in that they responded to mechanical pressure and were stimulated when heated above 40 Celsius. "Eighteen receptors also responded to chemical stimulation and can be defined as polymodal nociceptors." These polymodal receptors are the first to be found in fish, and resemble those in amphibians, birds and mammals, including humans. But mechanical thresholds were lower than those found in human skin, for example, perhaps because fish skin is relatively easily damaged. Double check The mere presence of nociception in an animal is not enough to prove that it feels pain, because its reaction may be a reflex. Proof requires demonstrating that the animal's behaviour is adversely affected by a potentially painful experience, and that these behavioural changes are not simple reflex responses.
So the researchers injected bee venom or acetic acid into the lips of some of the trout, with control groups receiving saline solution injections or simply being handled. All the fish had been conditioned to feed at a ring in their tank, where they were collected for handling or injection. Dr Sneddon said: "Anomalous behaviours were exhibited by trout subjected to bee venom and acetic acid. Different development "Fish demonstrated a 'rocking' motion, strikingly similar to the kind of motion seen in stressed higher vertebrates like mammals. "The trout injected with the acid were also observed to rub their lips onto the gravel in their tank and on the tank walls. These do not appear to be reflex responses." The fish injected with venom and acid also took almost three times longer to resume feeding than the control groups. Dr Sneddon said the team's work "fulfils the criteria for animal pain". Previous work on fish had looked at the elasmobranchs, fish including sharks, skates and rays with cartilaginous skeletons, and at primitive vertebrates like the lamprey. Dr Sneddon said: "These studies did not conclusively show the presence of nociceptors.
It's shocking that people will still go fishing for fun
Dawn Carr
Peta (Europe)
"We believe our study is the first work with fish of the teleost family [those with bony skeletons], and the results may represent an evolutionary divergence between the teleost and elasmobranch lineages." The Fish Veterinary Society described the research as "an interesting contribution to the debate". Dawn Carr, director of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Europe), said: "It's shocking that people will still go fishing for fun. "For every cruel thing people do, there is a compassionate alternative. "There are so many ways to enjoy the outdoors - we hope people would go hiking, camping, boating; any sort of sport that doesn't involve animal suffering would be preferable," she said.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Sport fishing should be immediately banned
Mike, England
The organisation Compassion in World Farming called upon the UK Government to respond to the findings with legislation to improve the living conditions of fish living on fish farms. The UK's National Angling Alliance described the study's finding's as "surprising". Dr Bruno Broughton, a fish biologist and NAA adviser, said: "I doubt that it will come as much of a shock to anglers to learn that fish have an elaborate system of sensory cells around their mouths... "However, it is an entirely different matter to draw conclusions about the ability of fish to feel pain, a psychological experience for which they literally do not have the brains," he said. He quoted from a study by Professor James Rose of the University of Wyoming, US, in which it was found fish did not possess the necessary and specific regions of the brain, the neocortex.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/sc...983045.stm

Published: 2003/04/30 14:25:01 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

[fishin]

Thanks for your answer! I'll make sure to get sharper hooks. I don't think they're dumb at all. I think they're wonderful. But I still want to catch and eat them; and do it in the least painful way possible.
[signature]

[fishin]

Now that was interesting! Thanks.
[signature]

Well i would have to say yes they feel pain. Thats why they try to throw the hook the second they feel it. However the way I look at it being a catch and release fisherman is that it's much better to let them go with a sore mouth than have them sit in a frying pan.

At least bass are rugged fish... trout barely stand a chance after release.
[signature]

As far as big fish/small fish go, just remember one important rule.

Fish don't get big by being dumb. Some of them are lucky that we release them and others are better off that we cook them.

Since Bass are considered a "Game Fish", I like to play with them and then put my toys back when I'm done.[cool]
[signature]

[fishin]

I didn't know that about Trout. Thanks.
[signature]

It is very common for a Trout to be misshandled.

Everyone is too anxious to get that picture before releasing it. They stress out too quick and build up lactic acid. It is the build up of lactic acid that kills most fish after release.

In the event that you plan on fishing Catch & Release style, it is important to use a little bit bigger line in order to get the fish in quickly. Barbless hooks also help for a quick and safe release.

Furthermore, it is not recommended to remove the fish from the water when you are going to release it.

Many times when I fish Large Mouth Bass, with a barbless hook, I can simply let the line go slack so that the fish can spit the hook and swim away without any handling. You can do the same way with Trout or other species of fish.[cool]
[signature]

[fishin]

Thank you.
[signature]

I personally, I have never heard a fish say "owwwww!!"

[]
[signature]

I think you just don't give them the chance to yell as you pull them out one after the other.[cool]
[signature]

[quote IFishCT.com]Well i would have to say yes they feel pain. Thats why they try to throw the hook the second they feel it. However the way I look at it being a catch and release fisherman is that it's much better to let them go with a sore mouth than have them sit in a frying pan.

At least bass are rugged fish... trout barely stand a chance after release.[/quote] I too am glad that Bass are so rugged. I've been catching them all day and I really want them to stick around so I can catch their brothers and sisters and distant relatives as well! Plus, fish are so darn tastie! I always say, "If its in the Bible it must be okay!" Not that I'm religious or anything, but come on! People are WAY too sensitive towards animals. I'm all for preserving them, but I have so much fun catching fish!
[signature]

Here's a view on the fish / pain issue...

gofishingforum.net/...-hurts-lol-t378.html




****we need to get special premission to be able to post direct links to other forums**** Tn2
[signature]

This is an old PETA argument that for the most part has been debunked by REPUTABLE researchers. Basically, to feel pain, you have to have the congnitive ability to interpret the stimulus as pain. The central nervous system of fish is not sophisticated enough or advanced enough to do so. Hence they DO NOT FEEL PAIN in the same manner that we do. Most mammals do, but most other animal do not have the brain power to process the stimulus as pain. The primary reason that a fish struggles when hooked is the survival instinct kicking in. Something is controling it and it will try and get away. It is not a Pain response

Unfortunately, the PETA folks were able to get laws passed in several European countries that outlawed the release of fish that were caught due to the psychological damage that they suffered due to being caught. What crap. But they continue to try and will do the same to us if we are not careful.

[fishin]


PETA is about stupid sometimes! That's about the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

Thanks for that info though, that makes more sense.

Went fishing all day and evening today! Caught one.
[signature]

I have always assumed they have felt pain, but never sure how much. Poor fishies! I try to be gentle taking the hook out haha, but then Ok you dont want to know, I like thinking they don't feel pain haha
[signature]