THE new research from the prestigious Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, showing that fish feel pain, is backed up by earlier research from the Government's own Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) and by the RSPCA Medway report.

Fish experience fear, stress and pain when removed from water, and the physiological mechanisms in fish are similar to those in mammals. The Medway report concluded that all vertebrates (including fish and people) experience similar sensations in response to painful stimuli.

The evidence is clear, and means that angling is cruel and unjustifiable. Eating fish is just as cruel as eating meat and fish farming is particularly cruel. Salmon and trout are kept in sea cages which are so overcrowded that many fish become injured as they collide when trying to get exercise.

The overcrowding also means that parasites spread rapidly, with sea lice being a particular problem. The fish suffer both from the lice and from the chemicals used to deal with them.

Wild-caught sea fish also suffer greatly. When hauled up from the deep, they undergo excruciating decompression. Frequently, the intense internal pressure ruptures the swimbladder, pops out the eyes and pushes the stomach out through the mouth.

The only way to avoid causing suffering is to leave fish alone. For information about how to combat cruelty to animals, contact Animal Aid on 01732 354 032.

Richard Mountford

Development Manager