Guest guest Posted June 20, 2003 Report Share Posted June 20, 2003 This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: I would like to hear your views on this. Thanks. This article is from The Star Online URL: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2003/6/14/features/fishpain & sec=\ features ________________________ Saturday, June 14, 2003 Do fish feel pain? By Anthony Geoffrey WHENEVER I prepare my gear for fishing, I often get that look from the wife. No – not the look that wonders if you really are going fishing, nor the one that says, “What a life – always going on holiday.” It’s the one that seems to question your very moral fibre. Let me explain. My wife thinks that angling is cruel. “Those poor fish must get hurt,” she says, “with that big hook in their mouth”. And as much as I try to explain the simplicity of a cold-blooded creature’s nervous system, she still believes that fish do feel pain. She still feels as if I am going for my regular fix of sado-masochistic pleasure at the expense of poor defenseless fish. We anglers have never really been able to do anything but rebut these allegations. We have never had scientific evidence to categorically deny such accusations. As Richard Lee, editor of the UK-based Angling Times says, “We have always been reactive and never proactive in our defence of fishing”. “Angling”, Lee says, “has always been on the backfoot, fighting off the ropes, always being forced to justify its actions to the antis.” Imagine my relief when I read a study published in Feb 2003 in the American journal Reviews in Fisheries Science which concluded that awareness of pain depends on functions of specific regions of the cerebral cortex, which fish do not have. Prof James D. Rose, Professor of Zoology and Physiology at the University of Wyoming, who has been working on questions of neurology for almost 30 years, has examined data on the responses of animals and fish to pain and stimulus over the past 15 years. Rose said that previous studies which indicated fish feel pain had confused nociception – which refers to all the processing by our nervous system of damage to our tissues – with feeling pain. “We can do a lot of nociception processing without feeling pain,” said Rose. “Pain is predicated on awareness,” said Rose. “The key issue is the distinction between nociception and pain. A person who is anaesthetised in an operating theatre will still respond physically to external stimulus, but the person will not feel pain. Anyone who has seen a chicken with its head cut off will know that while its body can respond to stimulus it cannot be feeling pain.” This of course is very bad news for the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) people who cite the 1979 study sponsored by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which produced a conclusion that in scientific terms leaves much to be desired. “The evidence suggests that all vertebrates through the mediation of similar neuro-pharmacological processes, experience similar sensations to a greater or lesser degree in response to noxious stimuli. There is clearly no scientific evidence. Fish lack a part of the brain called the neocortex, or anything remotely like it. “The idea that fish can suffer while on the end of a hook is just unsupportable,” said Rose. His work is the largest study undertaken into piscine neurology, and its conclusions leave no doubt about the fish’s ability to feel pain. It simply cannot. Rose, whilst rejecting the idea that fish can suffer pain, stated that we still have to care about the welfare of fish. However, he added that anti-fishing campaigners should concentrate on ensuring that they were able to enjoy clean and well-managed rivers and seas. The Aquaculture Network Information center in the United States discussing the same topic, have this to say: “Pain is transmitted by specific neural pathways, and receptors for pain may be activated by mechanical, thermal or chemical stimuli. Fish possess these types of receptors in their skin. In humans, pain is sent to higher brain centres (prefrontal cortex) where it is perceived and the perception is associated with a powerful emotional experience. Fish, however, do not possess these well-developed higher brain centres and thus they perceive a painful stimulus and react to it almost as a reflex. After the initial perception, they would not be bothered by the stimulus, similar to what occurs in humans who have had surgery to central brain regions to treat chronic pain.” Here’s what local anglers have to say in response to Rose’s study. Tony Wee, Deputy President Persatuan Memancing Malaysia (PeMM), says, “What the good professor found was that fish do not have that bit of the brain that transmits pain. His 38-page research report is viewed as authoritative and leaves little room for dispute. This study certainly puts to rest the argument put forward by the anti-fishing people that fishing is a cruel sport. However, I doubt it is going to influence those who are anti–fishing anyway. These people will never change their perception that fishing is a blood sport. Aziz Daud, International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) representative Malaysia, adds, “I have thought this (through) for a long time, although until the Rose study no one has been able to prove it. I have always used the analogy of the kerbau with a ring through its nose –when you pull it follows because it hurts to pull against it, whereas a hooked fish will go in the opposite direction.” Aznir Malek, PeMM committee member, says, “I think catching a fish with a hook and line is much more humane then, say, using a trammel net. In the latter, a fish is trapped by the gills and left to struggle to death, usually way before the net is lifted by the fisherman. For an angler who uses a rod and line, the fish is landed in the minimum time, allowing him or her to decide whether to take it home or release it relatively unharmed. For most commercial fishing methods, this is not an option.” To say that real pain is inflicted by the angler’s hook is questionable. How is it then that many species of fish can masticate very sharp food items (e.g. a carp crushing shellfish, a siakap eating udang galah, or a toman devouring a spiny catfish), if they can feel pain in their mouth? W <TABLE WIDTH= " 400 " BORDER= " 0 " CELLSPACING= " 0 " CELLPADDING= " 5 " ALIGN= " CENTER " BGCOLOR= " #66CCFF " > <TR><TD> The Persatuan Memancing Malaysia (PeMM) will be organising a get-together for members and non-members on June 21 (Saturday) at the Tow Foo Sport Fishing Centre behind Kundang Lakes Golf Resort, Kundang, Selangor. A full day and night of activities has been arranged for anglers and their families to have fun, eat, shop, talk or even learn the art of fly-fishing. Keep this date in your dairy! Events 9am: Car Boot Sale Shop or browse through pre-loved fishing items. Many new and used fishing equipment, books, videos, camping gear and the like will be sold. This rare sale will end at 5pm. 10am: Fly-fishing clinic Those interested in learning the art of fly-fishing are welcome to this clinic which will discuss the basics plus a hands-on demonstration on how to fly-fish. The FLY BOYS comprising Irharmy Ahmad, Aznir Malik, Tony Wee and Jerry C’hng will conduct the three-hour clinic. Those interested must register by calling Aznir Malik at 019-320 4646 before June 15. 2pm: Hand-line competition A unique competition using hand-lines will be conducted purely for those who want to feel what a powerful TOMAN pull feels like. Bring your own hand-line gear, we shall provide the bait. To register, please call Major Ismail Feisol at 019 – 339 1030 or e-mail:<a href= " mejorismail " >mejorismail</a> 7pm: BBQ night There’ll be steaks, chunky chicken, roast lamb, grilled fish and baked potatoes on the glowing ambers with light entertainment by resident anglers. So what are you waiting for!? All this and local delicacies await you on JUNE 21. You will also get to fish the whole day and take home two kilogrammes of either Tilapia, Lampam, Pacu or Keli, free! <li> Cost: RM10 for PeMM members, RM20 for non-members. Children below 12 years old are entitled to a 50% discount. Please take note that this fee is only for those coming for the BBQ night, which is limited to the first 100 people who register, and all-day fishing. For enquiries, e-mail: <a href= " dboy47 " >dboy47</a> Authorised registration centres: Tight Lines Tackle 23, Jln PLS 10/32, Bandar Sri Subang 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor (03) 5637 2682 (Uncle Bob) Tackle Box (03) 5637 0268 (Nick Ooi) Tow Foo Sport Fishing Centre Kundang, Selangor 019-2668446 (Aziz), 012-6525452 or 019-2283489 (Wong Bek Sok) </TD></TR></TABLE><p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2003 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. 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