Hooked on a Myth, by Victoria Braithwaite argues about how fish feel pain and have emotions as well. She presents a variety of arguments and experiments on fishes feeling pain. But, on the emotional side I didn't really feel convinced. She really didn't have much information to bring that topic up. I don’t believe she should have stated that fishes had emotions if she wasn't quite sure and didn't have as much information to back it up. Rather, she should have just stuck with fishes feeling pain. That is just my own opinion. When I first read this article I was actually surprised on the experimentation of, vinegar on an open cut. It was weird how the fish reacted and when it started to experiencing a lot of agitations, but when it was given medication it started to calm the fish agitations, I didn't expect the fish to react the way it did. I thought it would have gotten weak and eventually die. I don’t really know much nor absolutely anything about fish or about their anatomy. So, it’s kind of hard for me to actually feel bad for the fish. But I know we should take into consideration of the fishes pains, if there have been experiments presented that showing that they do feel pain.
There are many ways for us to actually put into effect on how we treat fish. For example, barbed wire should be banned when you are trying to catch a fish. There should be other supplied wires that won’t actually hurt the fish, but still allows you to real in the fish. The second thing in protecting the fish, is the catch and release method. When the fish is out of water it is suffer trying to grasp for air in order to survive. When it is out of the water you can see from the fish’s eye that they are suffering and hoping they will actually survive that is the worst pain you could put a fish through. It’s like taking away the oxygen of a human; we suffer as well and experience great pain. So, why should we be taking a fish's life away? It is better to just catch and then release it back. In the article scientist determined consciousness in a human but not on a fish. I believe a fish is conscious as well. They know their own surrounds and how they feel. They are aware when they are dying and when they are hungry. In paragraph 11 it talks about how fish are smart and clever. They are able to guide themselves in order to survive. They can detected many things that we aren’t much aware of. They are smart enough to take care of themselves and use their surroundings in order to survive.
I agree with your opinion on this topic Valeria. I also believe she should have stuck with the word pain instead of emotion because she doesn't have evidence yet that fish have emotion. And then she goes onto the question of whether fish are conscious and presents the conclusion that we don't even necessarily know the definition of consciousness. But scientists have discovered that fish are clever and their brains are very similar to ours they are just not as complex. Moving onto the question of whether we should change the way we treat fish. She concludes that we don't have to necessarily change our behavior. I feel that we don't have to stop fishing, just be more gentle and aware that they feel pain as well. It was very interesting how fish do react to pain with medication the same way that we do. I do feel bad for the poor fish, but at the same time they are a source of food. Maybe there needs to be a way to catch the fish and kill it without harming it in the process, if they is even possible. I do really enjoy the way the author presents the information, it is easy to follow.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you val, I believe that the catch and release method is no good for fish, it just harms traumatizes them. Fish suffer the second they are hooked, fishers dig a hole in them for their own pleasure. I think that's unfair due to their suffering. I'm fine with fishing but if you're going to fish, at least keep the fish and don't throw it back in with it already hurt and traumatized. Having fish in consideration and being more gentle, is only fair for fish.
ReplyDeleteI understand that all animals feel pain, but Braithwaite clearly states that it is not proven that certain animals react to the pain they are feeling. The Fish for example got irritated when they were stung with the irritant, but the test didn't prove that the fish reacted with a strong emotion to the pain. Fishing with intention of cruelly hurting the fish is pure wickedness, but there are people who rely on fishing as a source of income. telling these people that they shouldn't fish because fish feel the pain is like telling them that the fish is more important than their wellbeing.
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