For those other fisherman out there, you never really think if a fish is suffering or not while its on the line. In fact, most fisherman are only concerned with either how much money they will receive or what they are eating for dinner. On the other hand, fish do not feel pain the same way as us humans do. Fish are missing the neuro-physiological capacity to have an awareness of pain. In
order to understand what exactly that means, you have to understand how pain works for humans. Once an injury occurs for a human, it stimulates nociceptos. The nociceptos then send electrical pulses through your nerves and spinal cord and finally land at the cerebral cortex. This is when these pulses are now processed into a sensation of pain.
In terms of anatomy, you can not compare fish to humans. Fish do not contain a neocortex, which is huge evidence regarding the pain awareness of fish. Most mammals have nerve fibers known as c-nociceptors, which reveal intense experiences of pain. These c-nociceptors are missing in sharks, rays, all cartilaginous fish and bony fish. However, some bony fish do contain simple nociceptors and show reactions to injuries, but it is not clear whether or not this is perceived as pain.
Now what does this all mean? To answer your question, a physiologist know as Lynee Sneddon tested an experiment which left people guessing. Sneddon preformed a study on rainbow trout (bony fish) to see whether or not they could feel pain. She did so by discovering 58 nociceptors along the trouts lips. She proceeded by injecting the fish with bee venom and acetic acid directly into the mouth. The fish reacted by rubbing its nose into the gravel and shaking its body. Sneddon concluded that the trout displayed clear discomfort and responses of pain.
It doesn’t take a scientist to see whether or not a fish is uncomfortable. For example, when i fish with my dad and its time to pull the hook out, the fish continues to shake its head and flop all over the boat. Is the fish feeling pain? Or is the fish suffering because it is simply out of the water? Whether or not either are true, you can see that the fish is in a state of discomfort. After doing research on this intriguing topic, I can now say that scientifically fish do not feel pain. However, as a fisherman and reader of Sneddon’s experiment, their are signs that fish display discomfort. Whether or not this discomfort can be defined as pain is another argument for another day.
Resources:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130808123719.htm
Now I am not a fishermen but I know I always have sympathy for fish whenever I see them in that huge trash can filled with water at the carnival waiting to be won by a little kid. They are all crammed in there in water that is probably not the right temperature then at any moment they can be scooped up and throw into a plastic bag. With this many changes in environment I wonder if they get scared, upset, or if they feel any emotion at all. Often times the baggie of fish gets thrown into the seat of the car and sloshed around the whole way home then after that they are dead within a few days. I wonder if the short life time has any correlation to the rapid changes in environment or treatment of the fish.