Victoria Braithwaite's Hooked On A Myth

To most people, animals are merely things for us humans to use as we see fit, for food, fashion and etc. This opinion of animals is not only insensitive and apathetic but also false. In addition, scientists and philosophers are saying that we humans are avoiding the thought of animals feeling the same pain that we do. In "Hooked on a Myth" by Victoria Braithwaite claims that fish are just as much liable to pain as humans are and raise an much doubt about whether or not fish should be treated with more mercy. As human beings who're capable of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain such as suffering, it may be time to treat marine life with more compassion as we do with other animals. It's unacceptable to just unashamedly ignore that fish "more than simple automata" (14). I think it's important to take into account Braithwaite's argument to find more humane ways to lock up the approach with captured fish if we were to continue to apply them as most people do now.

Easily because fish don’t necessarily have a significant way of expressing their pain,

humans tend to ignore sympathy for them. Braithwaite states that neurological research points out that fish have nociceptors on the linings of their mouth, meaning that they can experience pain whenever they receive damage to their body. Every time a fish gets caught by a traditional hook used for fishing would be one of the most painful deaths they could possibly have, more so than being simply eaten by a predator higher on the food chain. Imagine being hooked and then hung by your jaw, counting the seconds until you don't have to feel the pain anymore; a horrifying and extremely painful death that no one should ever experience.

After going through a round of experiments, some scientists were able to determine that fish find irritating chemicals as painful- as most people and discomfort.

As some test is shown according to the article “Do fish have feelings? Maybe…” by Sonia Planellas, a student at the University of Stirling introduces a study that scientist are looking more into is the Zebrafish Test. In this test, they observe the behaviors of zebrafish under the situation of being confined in a net and then being released and seeing where those stressed fish would end up in the tempered waters. Pinellas quotes, “ The stressed fish spent more time in the warm waters and their body temperatures had risen by between 2°C and 4°C – and that emotional fever was the cause.” The purpose of this experiment was that fish are conscious when they are in danger to the point that their body temperature rose which they knew what was going

on.

Even though there isn’t an absolute or obvious answer it’s a new point for view that shouldn’t be taken lightly. The methods that most fishermen use to catch a fish from the sea has not been the most