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New Research: Fish Do NOT Feel Pain

A Number of Reports On Mainstream-Media Web Sites Cite New Research That Shows Definitively That Fish Do Not Suffer Pain.
mako eats sword

mako eats sword

Mako shark shows an evident lack of concern over the pain it’s inflicting in this striped marlin. Al McGlashan / almcglashan.com

Fish don’t feel pain. That’s the fundamental conclusion of a study in the journal Fish and Fisheries,_ _led by University of Wisconsin professor of zoology and physiology Jim Rose, and noted in a number of mainstream media reports, such as one at Mail Online and others, including The Times of India. Rose is quoted as pointing out that fish showed “remarkably little effect” to pain that would debilitate a human being.

Fish simply lack sensory receptors in nerve cells or a brain system capable of registering suffering, the scientists say.

Not surprisingly, a spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals disputes the study, noting that just because fish don’t scream audibly does not mean they don’t react to pain. Indeed, the organization says fish are even fearful of possible pain.

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