Fish have human-like feelings too?

[Stan]

Fish have feelings too?

By ERIC VOLMERS, Guelph Mercury

GUELPH, Ont. (CP) -- Fish may be closer to humans when it comes to feeling fear than previously thought, new research at the University of Guelph suggests.

The findings will likely add fuel to a debate about how much fish can feel and think, a topic that has pitted activist against angler for years.

Prof. Ian Duncan and his University of Guelph team say they have proven that rainbow trout can feel fear and are deeper thinkers than previous research has suggested.

Their experiment involves chasing a fish through a long tank with a net, allowing it to go through a small doorway to escape. Eventually, researchers stop chasing the fish and flash a light instead, tricking the fish into thinking it is being chased. Since the fish associate the light with being chased, it not only proves the fish have memory, but also illustrates they feel fear, he said.

"We give the fish a warning that they are going to be frightened," said Duncan, a professor in poultry and animal science who holds the chair for animal welfare at the university.

"It tells us that it's not just a reflexive movement, but that the fish are frightened and that they prefer not being frightened."

Sounds like a fairly harmless observation, but there is little consensus in academic circles on the issue of whether fish can think or feel pain.

Some researchers have said fish simply do not have the brain matter to reach the level of consciousness required to feel fear, pain or any simple emotions. That was the theory put forward by University of Wyoming Prof. James Rose, whose research seemed to suggest fish are incapable of experiencing trauma.

More to it

But Duncan said he doesn't think Rose's research tells the entire story.

"I think looking at anatomy is not very conclusive," he said. "You have to look at behaviour and physiology. It's possible for a brain to evolve in different ways. That's what is happening in the fish line. It's evolved in some other ways in others parts of the brain to receive pain."

But Peter Meisenheimer, executive director of the Ontario Commercial Fisheries Association, said there has been little proof that fish can feel fear.

A biologist and University of Guelph graduate, Meisenheimer did his graduate work on behavioural ecology.

"Even plants will try to avoid certain things," he said. "The mere fact that something will move to avoid something that it doesn't like or is injurious --does that mean that they feel fear? That's a serious leap."

But, not surprisingly, those who find work like Duncan's most objectionable are recreational anglers, who claim this research is coloured by a bias towards animal activism.

"There's been studies done in Great Britain and North America," said Greg Farrant, spokesman for the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. "There's never been any conclusive proof. It's put forward on a semi-regular basis by groups like the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. There have been no conclusive studies. Animal rights activists just think fishing is a barbaric sport and want it to stop."

But Duncan disagrees, saying the research is not about a ban on fishing or fish processing. It's about determining how and what fish feel, which should get consumers thinking about how fish are being farmed, transported and killed.

[Naomi]

Interesting.

Ever had a "fish tank" and tapped on the glass to watch the fish swim around the bowl?

Do they swim away out of fear?