Study shows fish do not feel pain
A team of scientists have found that fish do not feel pain because their brains do not recognise the sensation.
The findings contradict previous studies, as fish are known to have nociceptors - sensory receptors that, in humans, send signals to the brain, allowing us to feel pain.
However, the latest research has proved that the presence of these receptors does not automatically mean that the host can feel pain. Instead, the team of seven scientists found that they simply triggered an unconscious reaction in fish.
The research, which involved reviewing various studies that have been carried out over a number of years, discovered that trout and other fish have an extremely small number of C fibres - the nociceptor responsible for pain.
James Rose from the University of Wyoming, USA, who led the study, said the team also found that fish brains to not possess the "highly developed neocortex" needed to feel pain, therefore, fish only show unconscious, basic instinctive responses.
Robert Arlinghaus, a professor that took part in the study, said: "I think that fish welfare is very important, but I also think that fishing and science is too.
"There are many conflicts surrounding the issue of pain and whether fish can feel it, and often anglers are portrayed as cruel sadists. It's an unnecessary social conflict."
The study has been published in the Fish and Fisheries journal.
The BSAVA has opened submissions for the BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026.
