Fun is a source of enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure for all parties
concerned. Unless, apparently, if you're a fish!
http://www.fishinghurts.com/feat-hiddenfish.asp
Dr. Sylvia Earle, one of the world's leading marine biologists, said,
"I never eat anyone I know personally. I wouldn't deliberately eat a
grouper any more than I'd eat a cocker spaniel. They're so
good-natured, so curious. You know, fish are sensitive, they have
personalities, they hurt when they're wounded." A recent issue of Fish
and Fisheries, devoted to learning, cited more than 500 research
papers on fish intelligence, proving that fish are smart, that they
can use tools, and that they have impressive long-term memories and
sophisticated social structures.
Many people have never stopped to think about it, but fish are smart,
interesting animals with their own unique personalities—just like the
dogs and cats we share our homes with. Did you know that fish can
learn to avoid nets by watching other fish in their group and that
they can recognize individual "shoal mates"? Some fish gather
information by eavesdropping on others, and some—such as the South
African fish who lay eggs on leaves so that they can carry them to a
safe place—even use tools.
Scientists are starting to learn more and more about our finned
friends, and their discoveries are fascinating:
• A recent issue of Fish and Fisheries, devoted to learning, cited
more than 500 research papers on fish intelligence, proving that fish
are smart, that they can use tools, and that they have impressive
long-term memories and sophisticated social structures. The
introductory chapter said that fish are "steeped in social
intelligence, pursuing Machiavellian strategies of manipulation,
punishment and reconciliation … exhibiting stable cultural traditions
and cooperating to inspect predators and catch food."
• Culum Brown, a University of Edinburgh biologist who is studying the
evolution of cognition in fish, says, "Fish are more intelligent than
they appear. In many areas, such as memory, their cognitive powers
match or exceed those of 'higher' vertebrates, including non-human
primates." Their long-term memories help fish keep track of complex
social relationships. Their spatial memory—"equal in all respects to
any other vertebrate"—allows them to create cognitive maps that guide
them through their watery homes, using cues such as polarized light,
sounds, smells, and visual landmarks.
• Dr. Phil Gee, a psychologist from the University of Plymouth, says
that fish can tell what time of day it is, and he trained fish to
collect food by pressing a lever at specific times. He says "fish have
a memory span of at least three months," and they "are probably able
to adapt to changes in their circumstances, like any other small
animals and birds."
• "We're now finding that [fish] are very capable of learning and
remembering, and possess a range of cognitive skills that would
surprise many people."
—Dr. Theresa Burt de Perera, Oxford University
• A scientific review presented to the Australian Veterinary
Association completely disproved the old myth that goldfish have
three-second memories; instead, the veterinarians found that goldfish
have impressive memories and problem-solving abilities. One of the
researchers said that after conducting the review, they wanted “to get
the message out to vets to start looking more closely at fish and
considering their welfare like they do other animals.”
—The Sunday Times, May 28, 2006
• "Australian crimson spotted rainbowfish, which learnt to escape from
a net in their tank, remembered how they did it 11 months later. This
is equivalent to a human recalling a lesson learnt 40 years ago."
—Sunday Telegraph, Oct. 3, 2004
DID YOU KNOW?
• Fish talk to each other with squeaks, squeals, and other
low-frequency sounds that humans can hear only with special
instruments.
• Fish like to be touched and often gently rub against one
another—like a cat weaving in and out of your legs.
• Some fish tend well-kept gardens, encouraging the growth of tasty
algae and weeding out the types they don't like.
• Like birds, many fish build nests where they raise their babies;
others collect little rocks off the seafloor to make hiding places
where they can rest.
• Some fish woo potential partners by singing to them, but male sand
gobies, tiny fish who live along the European coast, play "Mr. Mom,"
building and guarding nests and fanning the eggs with their fins to
create a current of fresh, oxygenated water.
Being Hooked Hurts!
A two-year study conducted by scientists at Edinburgh University and
the Roslin Institute in the United Kingdom proved what many marine
biologists have been saying for years: Fish feel pain, just as all
animals do. Anglers may not like to think about it, but fish suffer
when they are impaled in the mouth and pulled into an environment in
which they cannot breathe. Said Dr. Lynne Sneddon, who headed the
recent study, "Really, it's kind of a moral question. Is your angling
more important than the pain to the fish?" If you fish or know someone
who does, click here to learn more.
Some Fish Are Too Clever to Catch!
“According to the researchers, close encounters with nets in early
life can educate the fish to swim away from an approaching trawler. .
.. . Emma Jones, a fish behaviorist at the Marine Laboratory, said:
‘And if you have one fish that is a particularly fast learner, the
others will follow.’”
—The Times (London), October 28, 2004
Fish Faux Fish or No Fish
Fish suffer horribly on the journey from sea to supermarket.
Commercial fishing boats use huge nets, some stretching for miles,
which swallow up everything—and everyone—in their paths. Fish come out
of the nets with their skin scraped completely raw from being forced
to rub up against rocks, debris—and other fish—trapped with them.
Fish flesh is frequently contaminated with mercury (which can cause
brain damage) and toxic chemicals like DDT, PCBs, and dioxin (which
have been linked to cancer, nervous system disorders, and fetal
damage), as well as disease—causing bacteria. Why not try faux fish
instead? Vegetarian products like Worthington's Tuno (available in
health food stores) and mock lobster, shrimp, and crab (available
online) have all the taste of the "real thing"—but none of the cruelty
or contaminants.
Fish Feel Pain
While it may seem obvious that fish are able to feel pain, like every
other animal, some people still think of fish as swimming vegetables.
In fact, regarding the ability to feel pain, fish are equal to dogs,
cats, and all other animals. Dr. Donald Broom, scientific advisor to
the British government, explains, “The scientific literature is quite
clear. Anatomically, physiologically and biologically, the pain system
in fish is virtually the same as in birds and animals."”
Indeed, neurobiologists have long recognized that fish have nervous
systems that comprehend and respond to pain, and anyone who made it
through Biology 101 knows that fish have nerves and brains that sense
pain, just like all animals. Indeed, scientists tell us that fish
brains and nervous systems closely resemble our own. For example, fish
(like “higher vertebrates”) have neurotransmitters like endorphins
that relieve suffering—of course, the only reason for their nervous
systems to produce pain killers is to relieve pain. Claiming that fish
do not suffer is as intellectually and scientifically sound as arguing
that the Earth is flat.
Interestingly, scientists have created a detailed map of pain
receptors in fish's mouths and all over their bodies. A team of
researchers at the University of Guelph in Canada recently surveyed
the scientific literature on fish pain and intelligence. They
concluded that fish feel pain and that “the welfare of fish requires
consideration.” Dr. Lynne Sneddon, a scientist of fish biology in the
United Kingdom, explains, “Really, it's kind of a moral question. Is
your angling more important than the pain to the fish?”
Scientists at Edinburgh University and the Roslin Institute in the
United Kingdom report that in response to pain, fish also feel
emotional stress and engage in “a ‘rocking’ motion strikingly similar
to the kind of motion seen in stressed higher vertebrates like
mammals.” The research team concluded that fish clearly experience
pain in the same way as mammals, both physically and psychologically.
A study by scientists at the Queen's University of Belfast proved that
fish learn to avoid pain, just like other animals. Rebecca Dunlop, one
of the researchers, said: “This paper shows that pain avoidance in
fish doesn't seem to be a reflex response, rather one that is learned,
remembered and is changed according to different circumstances.
Therefore, if fish can perceive pain, then angling cannot continue to
be considered a non-cruel sport.”
As you would expect from animals who we now know to be intelligent and
interesting individuals with memories and the capacity to learn, fish
can also suffer from fear and anticipation of physical pain.
Researchers from universities across America have published research
showing that some fish use sound to communicate distress when nets are
dipped into their tanks or they are otherwise threatened. In a
separate study, researcher William Tavolga found that fish grunted
when they received an electric shock. In addition, the fish began to
grunt as soon as they saw the electrode, clearly in anticipation of
the torment that Tavolga was inflicting on them.
According to Dr. Michael Fox, D.V.M, Ph.D., "Even though fish don't
scream [audibly to humans] when they are in pain and anguish, their
behavior should be evidence enough of their suffering when they are
hooked or netted. They struggle, endeavoring to escape and, by so
doing, demonstrate they have a will to survive."
What happens to fish before they end up on your plate is nothing short
of cruelty to animals—whether they’re farmed or pulled from the ocean,
fish are treated in ways that would warrant felony charges if it were
other animals who were so horribly abused. Please click here to learn
what you can do to help stop this.
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