Scientists are in complete agreement that a fish’s pain response is identical to that of mammals and birds.
On a recent visit to Phuket, I was dismayed to see a large number of live crustaceans held in tanks in front of restaurants. Do they suffer an agonising death being boiled alive? Fish are by no means mindless blobs – they are smart, social animals with unique personalities and, just like dogs, cats and humans, they feel pain. Just as we have no justification for inflicting pain on mammals, we have no justification for inflicting pain on aquatic animals. No animal deserves to suffer for something as unnecessary as momentary pleasure.
Jenny Moxham