Is it true...

[ummmm]

That fish don't feel pain? Or seafish...

I was watching river cottage the other night when he was out fishing. They were catching prawns and putting them into little compartments to size them....

A live crab had some part of him torn off his back and then stabbed between the eyes...

Then they belt the fish over the head...

Just all looked a bit cruel....If livestock were treated the same way they'd be uproar.

Do they really not feel pain?

[snags]

As others have said, as long as any animal is dispatched as quickly and humanely as possible I can live with it and will happily continue to consume them with gusto.

I went Mackeral fishing once and had to kill, prepare and gut around 3 dozen of them. I really wanted to eat them so I just got on with it.

[ummmm]

I'd happily eat it if someone else killed it.....I've managed to gut them. I found that very unpleasant and not too easy with my eyes closed.

[merciasounds]

I'm basically with Hugh Fearnly Whittingstall on this, if you're going to eat meat and fish then you should know how it's reared and killed. Saying that, I don't think animals should suffer and should be dispatched in the quickest and most humane way without distress. I had this arguement once about fish feeling pain with an angler, and he said fish don't feel pain, according to him, he said they don't feel anything at all, because I said it must hurt when they have the barbed hooks yanked out of their throats, mouths, etc. - But I counter-manded with, if fish don't feel at all, how come you can 'tickle' trout?
All you people who say if you had to kill a chicken etc you'd go veggie - if you were hungry enough, you'd do it!!

[paddywak]

A side from fish I've not had much to with the preparation of sea food, apart from eating it, but if I remember rightly shrimps and prawns etc are plunged into boiling water, crabs are "Drowned" in fresh water and then boiled and lobsters are placed in cold water which is then boiled though no doubt somebody will correct me if I'm wrong. Doesn't sound a particularly painless way of dealing with them but they taste nice so I shall carry on eating them

[snags]

''I'd happily eat it if someone else killed it.''

That's a bit hypocritical though isn't it. They still feel 'pain' (allegedly) no matter who kills them, which I thought is what your thread was about.

As I said, I really wanted to eat those Mackerel and if I hadn't prep'd them myself no one else would have (although they were all happy to fish for them and eat them once they were cooked)...

[ummmm]

Not if there were enough vegetables I wouldn't. I was veggie for years....from about the age of 12 until early 20's so I know I could cope perfectly well without meat. I would struggle with fish though.

[Barmaid]

I fish (although not that often these days) but only for food. Given that I think fish DO feel pain - nothing on which to base this other than my gut instinct - I despatch them to the great river in the sky as quickly and humanely as possible.

I went mackerel fishing once. It was hilarious. It was a boat trip off the coast of scotland - the idea being to spend some time looking for the wildlife and then find a nice spot for a few hours fishing. We caught no end of mackerel and pollack. Unfortunately, there was an american woman on the boat who started hyperventilating at us whipping these fish out the water, smacking them one on the back of the head and then gutting and cleaning them. The boat skipper who was a real old Scottish sea dog type was absolutely hilarious when he started giving her down the road.

[snags]

Barmaid... its a date. I'll bring the live fish, you bring your gutting finger and some parsley ;-p

[paddywak]

With regards to plants and vegatables, how do you know they don't feel pain when they're dragged from the earth topped, tailed, peeled and plunged into a pan of boiling water? After all many people believe they respond to sounds so why not pain?

[ummmm]

No snags...

For instance I don't have a problem with putting crabs in the freezer and stuff like that. I don't have a problem with killing things quickly. I just used the OP as that was what got me thinking about it. Some of it looked cruel.

[snags]

''I don't have a problem with putting crabs in the freezer and stuff like that. I don't have a problem with killing things quickly.''

Is that a quick death though? Not as quick as jabbing a screwdriver in between their eyes and mashing their brains in is it. Freezing them just avoids you having to actually deal with any mess or 'death'...

[ummmm]

I didn't think of that. I suppose it's because it's the only way I've seen it done. Never done it myself though. My Grandad did it all the time.

I suppose the animals don't care much for their preys pain...

[snags]

I've heard that freezing them is a humane method but who 'really' knows other than the crab? The screwdriver to the brain method, although appearing gruesome to us, instantly kills them... it's just not as 'easy and convenient' for us to deal with.

I fancy a crab now actually...

[China Doll]

I'm not tough, just realistic. And to me, most animals are just animals. I like animals, I don't particularly want them to suffer but I don't give them the same status as humans (who I might possibly think twice about gutting... maybe) so I probably find it hard to care or empathise with things that are deemed cruel but have a good reason in terms of human reasons, such as food or testing medicines that could have a postive outcome for us.

I'd still throw up though, I don't doubt that for one minute!

[Barmaid]

I've never killed a crab but wouldn't have a problem doing it. Something pointy through the head sounds like a relatively quick way.

Personally, I wouldn't have a problem killing any animal for food, but I would get distressed if I felt the animal was suffering so for purely selfish reasons I would do it quickly.

Damn I am hungry now. Could do with a really juicy steak.

[snags]

Steak eh. Good luck with trying to jab a screwdriver in between the eyes of a cow ;-p

[snags]

... or trying to coax it in to your freezer...

[Barmaid]

lol. I've never actually killed a cow either (despite living on a farm). But a bolt into the brain used to be a quick way of despatching large animals. I don't know how they do it these days.

[snags]

They tickle them to death, and whilst they're rolling around in hysterics, they cover them in BBQ sauce and roll them in the oven...

What The Funicular? ;-p

[Barmaid]

lol. I still have a wonderful image of trying to coax a cow into the freezer.