Interesting to see the gnomes admit it's cruel and painful these days
and yet go on to completely disregard that fact. What makes a gnome
want to take up angling? Where's the fun in sitting on your fat arse
all day beside an oversize fish tank and throwing loaves of bread and
cans of sweetcorn in to the water. It's taken canned hunting for fun
to the extreme. Are anglers the laziest slobs in the world?
Is angling a cruel s****t?
Fish have the same nerve endings as mammals and can feel pain, British
scientists have concluded.
Researchers injected bee venom into the lips of rainbow trout and the
fish reacted in the tests by rocking and rubbing their lips on gravel
and tank walls.
Dr Lynne Sneddon claims these behavioural changes are not reflexes but
signs that fish can feel discomfort, challenging previous thinking
that fish brains are not developed enough to experience pain.
Fish farms should now be regulated in adopting humane methods to
slaughter fish, an animal welfare group has responded.
Are the reactions just reflexes or are fish really suffering? Should
this change our attitude toward fish? Should angling be banned? Should
fish farms be regulated?
This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.
Your reaction
Go into the countryside and look at road kills, wild deer tangled in
old cassette tape, swans injured by power lines, rabbit warrens caving
in under the feet of walkers etc - the list is almost endless. At any
point where one species interacts with another, regardless of whether
it is for food, pleasure or accidental, pain will be caused. It is a
fact of life, get over it and get on. You may as well try to ban
domestic cat owner****p - that causes a greater degree of suffering to
wildlife and to species that we know can feel pain.
Simon Hawksley, England
So fish feel pain. What a revelation! I act like the trout after three
seconds of exposure to EastEnders. Are Rights Groups going to march to
ban every activity because someone, or something feels pain? Next up -
gardening. Weed killer will be considered "inhumane" and grass cutting
and pruning will be akin to mass decapitations and amputations!
Robert Duncan, United Kingdom
If the fish are eaten, that is exactly the same as any farm and
therefore has purpose. S****t fi****ng should be immediately banned.
However, it won't be, because fish are not cuddly like foxes and
fi****ng is considered a Labour sup****ters' s****t.
Mike, England
Anglers are generally gentle souls
James, UK
Anglers are generally gentle souls who remove the hook quickly and
kill the fish decisively if they are going to eat it, or return it to
the water swiftly. Don't forget there are at least three million
regular anglers in the UK (and Jeremy Paxman is one of them!).
James, UK
I enjoy fi****ng and yes, I know it hurts them, but I'm not going to
stop. Life is hard and cruel and it's only tree-huggers who think they
can change that.
David Cobern, Exeter UK
All animals must be able to feel pain in some form so if you crunch a
beetle will that be the next study or should gardeners watch out when
digging? Dump the pointless studies and do something constructive with
the MONEY. After all, they hurt the poor animal with trying to find
out if it did feel pain.
Rick, Scotland
Yes, as a person who has been fi****ng, I believe that fish could feel
pain. When you take the hook out of a fish mouth which you want to
throw back it seems very distressed. I think this is the pain of the
hook and the pain of not being able to breathe. I don't believe
fi****ng should be banned, but controlled more to protect the resource
for further generations.
John Sterianos, South Africa (living in London)
The most boring hobby in the history of human existence
Dan Mead, Surrey, UK
Not only is fi****ng cruel, but it is quite possibly the most boring
hobby in the history of human existence. Can anyone give me an honest
justficiation for fi****ng which will prevent me from pointing and
laughing at them?
Dan Mead, Surrey, UK
It seems naive to have assumed fish can't feel pain as we have
established that all other life on this planet can! Fish farms need to
be regulated on this issue and also to help reduce the spread of
disease, genetic problems and the high uses of chemicals which impact
not only on the fish, but on all of us. We really need to sort out all
farming.
Helen, UK
It's pretty obvious that a living creature should not be abused for
human enjoyment, it's amazing that in the year 2003 people still get
their jollies by torturing fish!
Tomas G, UK
Who's taking bets on how quickly this enters into the "class"
argument? The fox hunting issue has been centred on political and
class envy, often losing sight of animal welfare. If fish feel pain
much more readily than we supposed, then it is immoral to ignore that.
Will the new Labour machine be so forthright over this issue knowing
how many angling Labour voters are out there? Come on Tony - what's
good for the fox is good for the fish! It's flies, wasps and spiders
next.
Paul B, UK
It'll put an uncompetitive strain on UK fish farmers
Phillip Holley, UK
I have no doubt that fish feel Humane methods to kill farmed fish are
not really workable in a global economy as it'll put an uncompetitive
strain on UK fish farmers. Everyone will head to the supermarket and
buy foreign fish im****ted cheaply because of a lack of similar
controls overseas. More or less what's happened to our meat farmers
really! You can't ask meat and fish farmers to take steps on cruelty
unless we in turn are happy to pay more for it.
Phillip Holley, UK
Whoever decided in the first place that fish are not sentient beings?
My despair at human cruelty and arrogance is reinforced today by the
re****t on cruelty to animals in the UK. Britain, supposedly a 'nation
of animal lovers' is slipping gradually back into the Dark Ages.
Patsy, UK
Perhaps they do, but it's not going to stop me eating them.
Russ, UK
Of course they feel pain, even if it is only emotional pain. Imagine
as a human having food hung in front of you. As soon as you go to eat
it a sharp object punctures your mouth and you are dragged away from
all you know.
Sarah, UK
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/talking_point/2988181.stm
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