Context
Places this topic in its larger context.
Sentience is the ability to have feelings and emotions.
Sentience is an important concept in animal rights because it is the criteria by which we should determine if living beings of a particular species are deserving of moral consideration.
The fact that fish look less like us than other animals we eat might undeservingly cause them to be the low on the list of animals deserving of moral consideration.
Key Points
Think of this section as the heart of the briefing.
Fish feel pain.
Marc Bekoff, probably the world’s foremost cognitive ethologist, having written over 30 books and hundreds of essays on animal behavior, says that “fish are sentient and emotional beings and clearly feel pain.“1
An article published in the Smithsonian Magazine titled “It’s Official: Fish Feel Pain” pointed to numerous studies showing decisively that fish feel pain.2
The American Veterinary Medical Association, which in no way could be considered an animal rights organization because of its close ties with the animal agriculture industry, said that fish “should be accorded the same considerations as terrestrial vertebrates in regard to relief from pain.”3
According to Victoria Braithwaite, professor of Fisheries and Biology at Penn State University, “The evidence we have to support sentience and pain perception in fish is as good as anything we have for birds and mammals. Fish, like birds and mammals, have a capacity for self-awareness.”4
According to Donald Broom, Emeritus Professor of Animal Welfare at the University of Cambridge, “the evidence of pain system function in fish is so similar to that in humans and other mammals, it is not logical to deduce that fish cannot feel pain.”5
Marquette Natural Sciences professor Colum Brown and coauthor of the book Fish Cognition and Behaviour6, says that “fish experience pain in a manner similar to the rest of the vertebrates.”7
Fish Display Emotions
Marc Bekov, probably the world’s foremost cognitive ethologist, having written over 30 books and hundreds of essays on animal behavior, says that “fish are sentient and emotional beings and clearly feel pain.”8
Ethologist Dr. Jonathan Balcombe, in one of his 6 books on animal behavior, “What a Fish Knows” shows overwhelming evidence that fish are intelligent, feel pain, display emotions, and have many of the other characteristics of the land animals we use for food. 9
Fish cognition can match or exceed other vertebrates.
Marquette Natural Sciences professor Colum Brown and coauthor of the book Fish Cognition and Behaviour10, says that “fish perception and cognitive abilities often match or exceed other vertebrates.”11
Fish have a sense of themselves and a sense of the future..
Victoria Braithwaite, professor of Fisheries and Biology at Penn State University, says that “fish, like birds and mammals, have a capacity for self-awareness.” 12
Fish avoid areas where they have previously had negative experiences, showing that they are able to anticipate the same thing happening again in the future13
Fish can experience fear and stress.
A scientific panel commissioned by the European Commission concluded:
- Fish are able to experience fear, pointing out that fear is useful for defense and escape.
- The stress physiology of fish is “directly comparable to that of higher vertebrates,”
- When exposure to stress is prolonged, it can become chronic and affect the immune system and growth, and may even cause death.14
Fish have long-term memory and can learn.
A paper published in the Fish and Fisheries Journal identified several studies showing that fish learn skills from one another, including:
- predator avoidance,
- migration routes,
- food location,
- fighting ability,
- and how to choose a mate.15
A study published in the Journal of Fish Biology reveals:
- that if fish are caught with a hook and released, they remember the experience at least a year later and avoid the hooks.
- if one fish is caught in an area, the entire population becomes very difficult to catch, suggesting that fish learn from each other’s experiences. (this level of avoidance also indicates that being hooked is a painful experience for fish.16
The ability to learn shows that fish possess and use long-term memory.17
Counterclaims
Responses to some “yes but..” retorts.
Claim: Because fish lack a neocortex, they are incapable of suffering.
Birds and amphibians are known to suffer and feel pain despite not having a neocortex. As a result, it is not reasonable to conclude that fish do not experience pain or suffering based on their brain structure.18
Though the brain structure of fish differs from that of mammals, it performs similar functions. Fish possess both an amygdala and a hippocampus, regions of the brain that deal with learning, emotion, and memory.19
Supplementary Info
Additional information that may prove useful.
None
Further Study
Outside sources helpful in providing a deeper understanding of the topic.
- Websites
- Fish Feel. fishfeel.org.
- Articles
- Smithsonian Magazine Article, “It’s Official: Fish Feel Pain.”
- Videos
Advocacy Resources
Stuff that can help with outreach and advocacy.
This section provides advocacy resources specifically for this topic, including 0 companion videos, 4 advocacy notes, 17 flash cards, 0 slides, and 0 memes, infographics, or other images.
Flash Cards
View Cards
-
What is the premise of the briefing on fish sentience and cognition?Fish feel pain, are sentient, and lead rich cognitive, emotional, and psychological lives.
-
What is a cognitive ethologist?An ethologist is a scientist who studies the behavior of animals in their natural environment.
A cognitive ethologist studies the influence of conscious awareness and intention on the behavior of animals. -
Who is Marc Bekoff?“Marc Bekoff has written over 30 books and hundreds of essays on animal behavior.
Now Professor Emeritus, he was a professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado Boulder for 32 years.
He cofounded the Jane Goodall Institute of Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. -
What’s one quote about fish from Marc Bekoff?“Fish are sentient and emotional beings and clearly feel pain.”
-
What did the article titled ‘It’s Official: Fish Feel Pain’ in the Smithsonian Magazine conclude?It pointed to numerous studies showing decisively that fish feel pain.
-
What is the stance of the American Veterinary Medical Association on fish pain?Fish should be accorded the same considerations as terrestrial vertebrates in regard to relief from pain.
-
Why might what the American Veterinary Medical Association says about fish be consider more compelling?Because the group has close ties with the animal agriculture industry and members of the group serve the animal agriculture industry.
-
According to Victoria Braithwaite, professor of Fisheries and Biology at Penn State, how does the evidence of sentience and pain perception in fish compare to that for birds and mammals?“The evidence is as good as anything we have for birds and mammals, showing fish have a capacity for self-awareness.”
-
What does Donald Broom, Emeritus Professor of Animal Welfare at the University of Cambridge, say about fish pain?The evidence of pain system function in fish is so similar to humans and other mammals, it’s illogical to deduce that fish cannot feel pain.
-
What does Dr. Jonathan Balcombe’s book ‘What a Fish Knows’ reveal about fish?It shows overwhelming evidence that fish are intelligent, feel pain, display emotions, and have many characteristics similar to land animals used for food.
-
According to Marquette Natural Sciences professor Colum Brown, how do fish cognitive abilities compare to other vertebrates?Fish perception and cognitive abilities often match or exceed other vertebrates.
-
How do fish demonstrate their ability to anticipate future events?Fish avoid areas where they have previously had negative experiences, showing they can anticipate future events.
-
Can fish experience fear?Yes, fish are able to experience fear, which is useful for defense and escape.
-
How does stress affect fish?The stress physiology of fish is directly comparable to that of higher vertebrates, and prolonged exposure to stress can affect the immune system, growth, and may even cause death.
-
Do fish have the ability to learn from one another?Yes, fish learn skills from one another, including predator avoidance, migration routes, and how to choose a mate.
-
What does a study published in the Journal of Fish Biology reveal about fish memory?If fish are caught with a hook and released, they remember the experience at least a year later and avoid the hooks, demonstrating long-term memory.
-
Where can you find full citations and the written briefing titled “Fish Sentience and Cognition?”vbriefings.org/fish-sentience
Presentation Slides
To be Done
Videos
To Be Done
Advocacy Notes
Tips for Advocacy and Outreach
Note: We intentionally use credentialed expert testimony throughout this briefing instead of experiments because they carry substantial weight. Consider doing the same in your conversations.
Whenever you mention cows, pigs, and chickens as subjects of exploitation, try and remember to add fish to that list.
If someone accepts that fish are sentient and worthy of moral consideration, then it will likely follow for them that other vertebrates such as pigs, cows, and chickens are also sentient.
If you are asked for the sources and can’t be specific, then say they’re from various studies and the citations are available at the vbriefings.org post on fish sentience.
Metrics and Meta
Counts and other information about this briefing.
Briefing Metrics and Other Meta
Metrics
| Companion Videos | 0 |
| Key Points | 6 |
| Counterclaims | 1 |
| Advocacy Notes | 4 |
| Flash Cards | 17 |
| Memes and Infographics | 0 |
| Presentation Slides | 0 |
| Footnotes | 19 |
Other Meta
Date Posted:
Last Edited:
Contributors
Social Sharing Image
Footnotes
Our sources, with links back to where they’re used.
- Bekoff, Marc. “Fish Are Sentient and Emotional Beings and Clearly Feel Pain.” Psychology Today, June 19, 2014. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal-emotions/201406/fish-are-sentient-and-emotional-beings-and-clearly-feel-pain ↩︎
- Ferris Jabr, Hakai Magazine, “It’s Official: Fish Feel Pain.” January 8, 2018. Smithsonian Magazine ↩︎
- Leary, Steven L, and American Veterinary Medical Association. AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals: 2013 Edition, 2013 ↩︎
- Braithwaite, Victoria. Do Fish Feel Pain? Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. 133-34 ↩︎
- Broom, Donald. “Fish Brains and Behaviour Indicate Capacity for Feeling Pain.” Animal Sentience Journal. 2016. ↩︎
- Culum Brown, Kevin Laland, Jens Krause. Fish Cognition and Behavior, 2nd Edition. Wiley Publishing, 2011 ↩︎
- Brown C. Fish intelligence, sentience and ethics. Anim Cogn. 2015 Jan;18(1):1-17. Epub 2014 Jun 19. PMID: 24942105 ↩︎
- Bekoff, Marc. “Fish Are Sentient and Emotional Beings and Clearly Feel Pain.” Psychology Today, June 19, 2014. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal-emotions/201406/fish-are-sentient-and-emotional-beings-and-clearly-feel-pain ↩︎
- Balcombe, Jonathan. What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins. Scientific American / Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2016. ↩︎
- Culum Brown, Kevin Laland, Jens Krause. Fish Cognition and Behavior, 2nd Edition. Wiley Publishing, 2011 ↩︎
- Brown C. Fish intelligence, sentience and ethics. Anim Cogn. 2015 Jan;18(1):1-17. Epub 2014 Jun 19. PMID: 24942105 ↩︎
- Braithwaite, Victoria. Do Fish Feel Pain? Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. 133-34 ↩︎
- Csányi, Vilmos, and Antal Dóka. “Learning Interactions between Prey and Predator Fish.” Marine Behaviour and Physiology 23, no. 1–4 (October 1993): 63–78. ↩︎
- Algers, Bo et al. “General Approach to Fish Welfare and to the Concept of Sentience in Fish.” EFSA Journal 7, no. 2 (2009). ↩︎
- Brown, Culum, and Kevin N Laland. “Social Learning in Fishes: A Review.” Fish and Fisheries 4, no. 3 (September 2003): 280–88. ↩︎
- Beukemaj, J. J. “Acquired Hook-Avoidance in the Pike Esox Lucius L. Fished with Artificial and Natural Baits.” Journal of Fish Biology 2, no. 2 (April 1970): 155–60. ↩︎
- Odling-Smee, Lucy, and Victoria A Braithwaite. “The Role of Learning in Fish Orientation.” Fish and Fisheries 4, no. 3 (September 2003): 235–46. ↩︎
- Cooke, Steven J., and Lynne U. Sneddon. “Animal Welfare Perspectives on Recreational Angling.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 104, no. 3–4 (May 2007): 176–98. ↩︎
- Stockinger, Günther. “The Hook That Hurts: Scientists Tip the Scales Against Anglers.” Spiegel Online, March 11, 2011, sec. International ↩︎
