Fish feel pain when fishingFishing means massive suffering for fish

Fish lived 450 million years ago and are the oldest vertebrates on earth. Many of the 36,000 species of freshwater and saltwater fish that exist today are regularly caught by anglers as a pastime. Whether as a hobby or a supposed sport, fishing means animal suffering.

As a leisure activity, fishing is often romanticized: People who fish can look out over the water, enjoy the peace and quiet and spend time in nature. However, what some people see as harmless pleasure means pure suffering for fish. Anglers completely disregard the fact that they inflict pain on the animals. Unfortunately, angling is widespread in Germany: Around 1.7 million anglers are officially registered with their fishing license, many of whom are organized in fishing clubs. There are several hundred of these in Germany. There are also other anglers who fish illegally without a fishing license. Animal cruelty is also declared as a sport at trade fairs.

Fish feel pain, stress and fear

As fish live underwater and do not make any sounds that we humans can hear, many people find it difficult to feel sympathy for them. However, fish are creatures with a pronounced sensitivity. Studies show that they have the anatomical and physiological ability to perceive pain, stress and other emotions such as fear and joy. Like cows, pigs, cats, dogs and birds, fish are also capable of suffering. When they are caught, they seem to suffer silently from their agony.

For the fish, a cruel ordeal begins when the hook penetrates the sensitive mouth or gill area. The animal bites at the bait and tries to escape as soon as it feels the resistance. The animal's strength is transferred to the line and the rod and can be felt by the person at the other end of the fishing rod: the fish fights for survival - the so-called fight, which is appealing to many anglers. The animal's muscles are no longer supplied with sufficient oxygen. The fish is exhausted, offers no more resistance and is pulled in. After being lifted out of the water, the final death struggle follows.

The Animal Welfare Slaughter Ordinance stipulates that fish must be stunned before being killed. Anglers usually stun fish with a so-called fish stunner made of wood or brass from specialist fishing shops. They use it to hit the fish on the head once or several times. This action often does not directly stun the fish, delaying the onset of death and turning it into torture. To butcher the fish, anglers place a knife blade underneath the gill cover and cut the main blood vessels between the heart and gill arches. They cut the fish open to bleed out.

"Catch and release" is a cruel and deliberately practiced fishing method in hobby fishing. What may sound benevolent at first is associated with immense suffering for the animals. Brutally tearing a fish from its natural habitat and then throwing it back under stress and possibly injured leads to suffering and can even result in death. While the fish fights for its life, amateur anglers weigh, measure and photograph their catch and proudly present it like a trophy. The anglers profile themselves with photos on the internet and in fishing magazines.

Throwing the fish back into the water after catching them has nothing to do with animal welfare: Scientific studies show that the majority of fish returned alive die later. Some of the fish are seriously injured by the struggle on the fishing line. Anglers also injure them by passing them around and holding them on land for too long. If the animal is pulled out too quickly from too great a depth, the difference in pressure can also cause the swim bladder to burst. The fish then suffer for a few hours or even several days before they die in agony. "Catch and release" is therefore a clear violation of the Animal Welfare Act.

In a fishing competition, anglers compete against each other, usually under the guise of a sporting event. The winners are those with the biggest, heaviest or most catches. The fish caught are temporarily kept in nets and then measured and weighed outside the water. The participants often kill the fish afterwards. Such brutal competitions are illegal in this country. In Germany, fish may only be caught for consumption or for water conservation.