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Fish Feel Pain Too


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Little Nemo is looking at you. (Photo courtesy of Shek Graham on Flickr.)

The next time you go fishing, you might want to take a moment to consider how the fish feels before you bop one on the head or hook it through its gills, Discovery News reports.

According to a new book by Penn State professor Victoria Braithwaite, fish can experience pain and humans can cause fish to suffer. Braithwaite began studying fish cognisance when she realized that by 2030, half of all fish consumed by humans will come from fish farms.

So should farm fish have the same protections as do other commercially farmed animals? Will knowing that the fish you just hooked and threw back might suffer from PTSD keep you from fishing?

Thanks to Treehugger for the heads up.

–Erin Beresini

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