Do fish have feelings?

No, and studies show that none of them are actually alive either. They're all faking it

I have no idea what they feel or don’t feel. I’m an avid fisherman, but my intention is to actually cook and eat what I catch. I’m not really interested in fishing and throwing them back. It needs to have a purpose for me to do it.

During the pandemic, I basically subsistence fished and was in the river almost daily. Last fall, I went to Alaska and fished coho salmon outside of Juneau. We caught 18 of them and brought home three cases of salmon filets, which we’ve been working our way through since. The market value of the salmon paid for the trip in my estimation. Not to mention a fishing trip to Alaska is an incredible experience.

I go fly fishing a lot. My dad told me the same thing. But everytime I catch a fish, I can't help wondering about the terror that fish must feel when it is being hauled out of it's home with a hook and a line, and all it thought it was doing was getting a bite to eat.

Anyway, I try. I always catch & release, and I order barbless flies, or I file the barb off of the hook. I never use live bait either.

When 8 was a kid I really didn't understand that the fish on my line was fighting for its life.

It bothers me to look at meat or poultry and know that an animal died for me.

Humans really need a variety of foods to survive. Yes, you can try to be vegetarian, but it isn't easy.

I don't believe your dad. Haha

Anytime I see an animal being caught or shot or whatever, that causes them pain, it really bothers me. That's why I don't fish. I just can't stand it when I see them wiggling in pain. Not even an impaled worm from a hook. I know, yes, I know we have to hunt for food, but it still bothers me.

Many animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, are believed to feel pain. While it's impossible to definitively know what another creature experiences, the presence of nociceptors (pain receptors) and similar nervous system structures, along with observable behavioral and physiological responses to harmful stimuli, strongly suggests that animals experience pain.

Vertebrates:
It's widely accepted that all vertebrates, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, experience pain. They possess the necessary neural pathways and nociceptors to detect and respond to painful stimuli.

Invertebrates:
While the evidence is less conclusive for all invertebrates, many, like some insects and cephalopods, are believed to feel pain. They may not experience it in the same way as vertebrates, but they demonstrate behaviors that suggest they perceive and react to harmful stimuli according to a biologist on Vox.com.

How we know:
Scientists rely on several indicators to assess pain in animals, including:

Physical changes: Animals exhibit specific physical changes when in pain, such as stiffened whiskers, narrowed eyes, or pinned-back ears in mammals.

Behavioral changes: Animals may show changes in activity levels, appetite, or vocalizations when in pain.

Self-administration of pain relievers: Animals will self-administer pain medication when in pain, suggesting they can perceive and want to alleviate the discomfort.

Recoil responses: Invertebrates with simple nervous systems show withdrawal or recoil responses when stimulated, indicating a basic level of pain perception.

Pain management:
Understanding that animals experience pain has led to improved pain management strategies in veterinary medicine and research, including the use of anesthesia and analgesics.

When I was first becoming vegetarian, I still ate fish, on the rationale that they are pretty dumb. But it didn't take me long to stop, because they are sentient beings.
My brother does a lot of fishing, and it is usually catch-and-release. On the one hand, letting the fish go seems kind. On the other hand, he has just stuck a hook through their face and dragged them out of their natural habitat. I truly feel ambivalent about this, to the point that I wonder sometimes about trying it myself, but then I don't.

"This doesn’t even hurt this little guy.”

I was told something similar when I was a little older, maybe 8 or 9.

I didn't believe it, and never went fishing again.

Hasn't stopped me from eating fish, however.

When I get these thoughts, whether fish, animals, insects even, I just try and push them away because I know there is nothing I can do about it. Then I go and look for something to eat and most of the time it was a living thing. I think about it more the older I get. Too bad I can’t live on ice cream!

All right, people. Enough with this self-righteous bologna. Have you ever thought that maybe we are just passing time, throwing random shiny trinkets and bobbles at the water? And of course, we want to make sure that we get them back. So we attach barely seeable, synthetic polymers that we lovingly call Fishin' Line.

But sometimes, these things with soulless dark eyes, fins (TBH, I believe fins should only be on vehicles), and even ones with sharp teeth (you've got to watch your toes with those kinds) like to play games, such as Hide and Seek or Tag.
But their favorite is Tug O' War.
So, they'll start playing with us, by touching or quickly grabbing and letting go of our Precious. They wait till we have our guards down.
Then BANG!! That's when it happens. They strike hard and fast, and boy, do they do their darnedest to take the well-earned property that we charismatically bartered for. We can't allow them (fishies) to get away with our Precious or Preciouses (you can go either way in Plural form).
So tug and tug we do, and we'll keep tugging. I Promise.

What the hell is this post about again? Oh, that's right. I was going to make a sandwich. Lol

Everything has some level of consciousness, even plants. This is why some religious traditions include a blessing or giving thanks for our relations giving their lives so that we may live. Mitakuye oyasin. Evolutionary theory says that if we go back far enough, we are all related.

For sure they do. That Grouper fish that charged at me when I got too close to its eggs was definitely feeling something.
I grabbed a puffer fish by the tail once (they get stunned by light when shone on them at night) and it definitely didn't like that.

Not usually but having read recent books on octopus intelligence I am rethinking that. I have only ate it abroad, as pulpo, maybe no longer.

I hate it when people say that about any animal. It's obviously not true. Pain is something we all feel, because it's a way for the nerve endings to tell us something is wrong. That's why when I catch my own food, I try to end its life as quickly and mercifully as I can.

I wont go fishing as I get upset taking them off the hook. I do eat fish though.

I truly understand and believe that

I feel pain just hearing this. I got kicked in the face by a crack girl on the street and she broke my glasses while I sat on a curb but fish have it worse

Good song I read somewere

Im sure they do

I believe all animals feel pain... And thinking and feeling is part of their nature

They feel a little slippery when you catch them, a little rough when they dry out and you clean them and really satisfying whe you scrap their bones off the plate.

Well, I'm going out on a limb here, and reporting that Rock Bass are either....
A. Dumber than a box of rocks (definitely a pun)
B. Enjoy pain and suffering.
C. Have no control when food is near or in their face.

In my experience, probably 7/10 times, they will instantly swallow that hook.

Never really thought about them having feelings.

Yeah fish absolutely have feelings.

They have lots of feelings.

Are they actually fish? I thought they were different, like cephlopods or something.

Any thing alive feels.

Maybe they have a sense of revenge...🤣
[media=https://youtu.be/lH3A2h5qZrY]

ask whaling ship crew about the norwich sleigh ride after harpooning a whale

What about pigs?

Does the fish question the intelligence or feelings of its food?

No, im not bothered to eat fish, smart or not.

All animals have feelings.

Fish have feelings and emotions as do chickens and cows who actually aren't dumb

Sheep are as dumb as a box of rocks... taste pretty good too if it's cooked properly.🤷‍♂😆
Fish don't strike me as all that intelligent.🎓

I'm convinced I have met people less smart than a chicken or cow.

There’s a hierarchy of life forms .

Fish is brain food. So some here should eat whales! 🐳

Idk why but I instantly thought of lobsters

https://www.worldanimalprotection.org/latest/news/octopus-farming-in-spain-sparks-global-concern-over-animal-welfare/

@NYCChick 😔

I saw a documentary of divers who were petting the fish! They actually liked being petted!

Yes it’s cruel and wrong

Suffocation is the worst pain imaginable