Just the mere fact that the fishing industry count them in tonnes caught instead of individuals indicates that their potential for suffering is immense, and has immense potential to cut into profits.
LUKAS JASIUNAS: ‘Recent empirical studies have provided evidence of fish, cephalopod, and crustacean capacity for nociception and pain, suggesting that their welfare should be taken into consideration. Some skeptics, rejecting the precautionary principle, however, have denied that any study actually proves pain or other aspects of sentience in fishes. In this study, a group of researchers working in the fields of fish behavioral science, animal sentience, welfare, and conservation gathered together to address scientific shortcomings present in fish sentience denial recently voiced by other colleagues…
The question of pain – seen as one of the key aspects of sentience – is all but settled, as several studies have shown unique molecular, electro-physiological and in-vivo changes in fishes’ fore-brain and mid-brain regions during painful stimulation. However, clear differences between mammalian and fish brains prevent us from expecting that the sensation of pain is processed in the same way… So how come fishes’ welfare is still frowned upon?
Just the mere fact that the fishing industry count them in tonnes caught instead of individuals indicates that their potential for suffering is immense, and has immense potential to cut into profits. The researchers agree that the protection afforded to mammals fails to be applied to fish for several reasons, including large differences between humans and fishes, lack of knowledge regarding the welfare of fishes, and the greater emotional attachment of humans to other mammals’. SOURCE…
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