It has also long been claimed that fish have a three-second memory, something that experts in the field have denied.Ĭulum Brown, an expert in fish cognition at Macquarie University in Australia, previously stated: “We’ve known about the reasonably good memories of goldfish since the ’50s and ’60s… Despite what everybody thinks, they’re actually really intelligent.” Do fish really have three-second memories? When a rainbow trout had a painful acid injected into their sensitive lips, they stopped eating, rocked back and forth on the floor of their tank, and rubbed their lips against the tank walls. There have been a number of studies conducted on fish that appear to demonstrate their ability to feel pain.

This has been seen as further proof that they are capable of feeling pain. In her book Do Fish Feel Pain?, biologist Victoria Braithwaite said that “there is as much evidence that fish feel pain and suffer as there is for birds and mammals.”įish have nervous systems which release endorphins that relieve suffering.

But much of what we think about fish has been denounced by experts. He added: “Because they suffer, and their suffering matters to them, that’s why I flag it as an issue.” Can fish suffer?Īs stated by Chua, humans have historically tended to view fish as unconscious and unintelligent animals. “I’m not going to sit here and say I emotionally feel compelled to care about fish in the same way as I do dogs,” Chua continued. And for me, an issue is an issue when there is someone who suffers.” Noah asked Chua about the ethics of eating wild-caught fish, to which he replied: “Fishing causes tremendous suffering to an immeasurable number of fish.

But today there is a mountain of evidence produced through years of research that suggests that fish feel, think, and suffer, like dogs, cats, and other animals.” “That would have been fine, forgivable, if I was in like 1703. Like many people, I grew up thinking that fish were these stupid, unconscious animals that have a three-second memory and can’t feel pain.” This question prompted a laugh from the audience, and Ryuji then replied: “Growing up, I didn’t think this.

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