Re: Do Fish feel pain?

This question has always intrigued me, so thanks for bringing it up! I found the answer (for myself) when I saw fish gasping for breath in their death throes and decided that they definitely did feel something "bad", certainly not "normal".... like the panic you and I would certainly feel, when deprived all of a sudden of oxygen knowing the end is very close. So in this case the knowing has to do with intuition (a feeling) rather than thinking. That´s why I disagree with this part of the article:

..........The 2003 Edinburgh study confirmed that trout have polymodal nociceptors around their face and head—i.e., they have the ability to detect painful stimuli with their nervous system. But, according to some definitions of pain, the detection of painful stimuli is not enough. The animal must have the ability to understand it is in pain to really feel pain. Putting a hook in the mouth of a trout stimulates it to race around the water, to not go where the line wants to force it. But this doesn't mean that the fish is thinking "Shit. Shit. Shit. This sucks. This sucks. Ow. Ow. Ow." What seems like a desperate escape might be a reflexive reaction, similar to your leg moving when the doctor taps your knee.......

When I´m in pain, the thought process helps divert my feelings away from the pain - but the pain is still there tho possibly diminished...
Just my 2 cents!!