A new book titled Do Fish Feel Pain? by the renowned scientist, Victoria Braithwaite, is a very important read for those interested in the general topic of pain in animals, especially because it has been long assumed that fish are not sentient beings and are not all that intelligent. This is a misguided view. A few years ago I reviewed the literature about sentience in fish and other animals who live beneath the surface ( see also) and it's clear that a strong case can be made for protecting fish and other aquatic animals from harm. Professor Braithwaite's book contains an incredible amount of recent scientific data that support this idea.
Many people will likely not take or have the time to read her book, so let me tell you what she says at the beginning of her chapter titled "Looking to the future." Braithwaite writes: "I have argued that there is as much evidence that fish feel pain and suffer as there is for birds and mammals -- and more than there is for human neonates and preterm babies." (page 153). Rather startling isn't it?
Professor Braithwaite then goes on to note that these data will require us to change the ways in which we interact with fish because we now know that they suffer and feel pain. Catch-and-release programs surely need to be curtailed because even if fish survive their encounter with a hook they do suffer and die from the stress of being caught, fighting to get the hook out of their mouth or other body areas, and the wounds they endure (for a study on catch and release methods and mortality in fish click here). Even hunters agree that catch-and-release are unethical and that torturing a fish at the end of a hook is just wrong.
It would be singularly unethical not to increase protection for fish and other animals who we previously thought weren't sentient. Teaching our children that ever popular catch-and-release programs are inhumane is a good way to go for making the future for fish and other animals a more humane and pleasant experience. We can always add more compassion to the world and expand our compassion footprint.
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I honestly don't buy that catch and release causes that high of fish mortality though. The streams I fish are nothing but catch and release, and they are wild trout waters (i.e. not stocked streams, not tail waters that allow fish in from a stocked lake). These streams are fished hard too, and year after year, the fish in these streams flourish, all thanks to catch and release. If C&R where not allowed in these streams though, the fish population would be devistated within just a year or two. If you land the fish quickly, handle it correctly, and use the correct equipment, fish go on to live long lives.
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