Do Fish Feel Pain?

[SherriSixxx]

Ok, first of all, what brought this question on: Yesterday I walked past a Chinese restaurant near where I work. I always look at the fish in their aquariums .(These fish are for eating). Yesterday they had brought in 2 eels. Very big one's, over a foot long each. But they have lots of cuts in them, one of them have a huge bloody sore on their neck, you can see what's inside!! And they also have badly cut fins, and jaw, and some white stuff growing on them. The other fish in the tank keep trying to bite their sores even more. The eels keep going to the top of the water in the tank to get some air. I feel sooo bad watching them, they are ill and dying, am sure.
So the question is, how much do they suffer? I read an article in the paper some years ago claiming fish don't feel pain?? But I just cannot believe it. Does anybody know more about this subject?? I would really like to know....

 

[thelastbetta]

http/www.fishinghurts.com/FishFeelPain.asp

 

[dwarfgourami]

Since they obviously feel an itch, how could they not feel pain?

 

[Bloo]

Ok, first of all, what brought this question on: Yesterday I walked past a Chinese restaurant near where I work. I always look at the fish in their aquariums .(These fish are for eating). Yesterday they had brought in 2 eels. Very big one's, over a foot long each. But they have lots of cuts in them, one of them have a huge bloody sore on their neck, you can see what's inside!! And they also have badly cut fins, and jaw, and some white stuff growing on them. The other fish in the tank keep trying to bite their sores even more. The eels keep going to the top of the water in the tank to get some air. I feel sooo bad watching them, they are ill and dying, am sure.
So the question is, how much do they suffer? I read an article in the paper some years ago claiming fish don't feel pain?? But I just cannot believe it. Does anybody know more about this subject?? I would really like to know....

Here's a massivly long discussion on the same question

 

[Clairel]

I would say any living thing feels pain, they say that tree's feel pain, so why wouldnt fish?

C x

 

[SherriSixxx]

Ouch, that's what I thought. It's not possible for them NOT to feel pain. You can see it in their movements clearly. Those poor,poor eels in the Chinese restaurant must be suffering sooo much
Am gonna read that long discussion now...

 

[Seb R]

I used to do a bit of fishing with friends. I definatly think fish can feel pain, but I think they are extremely tough animals so can take it better than mamals. Besides we have pain so that we are allerted to something that has happened to our bodies, mamals can do something about it, so thats why we have it, fish cant do anything about damage to themselves so they just keep swimimg and survivng.