Can fish feel pain when caught?

[pet-walkiz 10]

can fish feel pain when caught on a hook?

fancy trying this out with the kids but dont fancy it if its painful for the fish.

Im told if the powers that be thought it was painful, then fishing by rod and hook would be banned.

Btw Im not asking anyone for comments on how cruel I maybe, Because cruel, I am not! Im asking because weve never tried it and wouldnt if there is enough evidence to say if it is painful for the fish.

[theripsaw 10]

Any fisherman will tell you its not painful.

 

Most other people would guess that your own bodyweight hanging off a hook in your mouth probably is.

[kimba 10]

eh lol trying it on the kids funny

you could strangle them with the line hehe

[fredsredhat 10]

Dont think anyone will ever know if it's painful to the fish but for sure the fish dont learn / forget very quickly. I was out fishing with a friend (he's the fisherman, i take the dog along for a walk) and he caught a trout with a very distinctive bite mark out of its head. The day after he caught the exact same fish in the same spot.

[whitehorses 10]

Yes, fish , like most living things can feel pain.

[barnie41 29]

Try it with the kids - just once - gets them out into the open. It's a good chance to teach them about the nature round the water, bird life,quality time with the kids and you can't beat it.

 

Fish feel pain? I've caught the same fish twice on far more than one occasion, so I'm minded to think not.

[pattricia 575]

No,fish cannot feel pain when caught.

[Quagmire 10]

I used to fish quite a lot. The fish feel pain without a doubt in my opinion.

 

When they are first brought out of the water they flap about a bit, but calm after a few seconds. Once you start removing the hook (would this not hurt like hell?) they go crazy usually.

 

A sharp hook through any creatures mouth is going to cause pain, the idea being that pain causes the creature to remember not to do the same thing again!

 

Take your kids fishing though, if they eat meat and fish its well worth them understanding where it comes from. Let them make their own decisions

[depoix 11]

ive fished for fifty years and still think that a fish has no feeling in its lips,i have often caught the same fish within minutes of releasing it,the reason they struggle is because they are being taken out of their enviroment,once held and returned they swim away contented,thats probably why small ponds still fish well as the fish are not scared of the hooks,they must have all been caught several times over their lifetime

[Draggletail 58]

No,fish cannot feel pain when caught.

How do you know?

[Jabberwocky 46]

When I went on my one and only fishing trip last year I asked every fish I caught if it felt pain.

No reply so...

 

Seriously though, I must admit that the sound they made, the gulping sound as they were being... de-hooked (?) made me feel sorry for them so... no more fishing for me.

Just the merest hint that they feel any discomfort and thats it for me.

[A.B.Yaffle 24]

Most scientists now seem to believe that fish do feel pain when caught.

 

I believe that the only reason that it is unlikely to be banned in the near future is that there are so many people who are already doing it and refuse to accept that what they have been doing may be cruel.

 

I would advise anyone who isn't already hooked (pardon the pun) on fishing to avoid starting it.