"Do Fish Feel Pain?" Controversy Over 'Fish Abuse' in Sashimi Restaurant Aquariums [Reporter Han Goes]

Fish Thrown During Korean Fishery Association Rally
Animal Rights Group: "Fish Also Feel Pain... A Clear Scientific Fact"
Controversy Over Fish Abuse Sparks Interest in Fish Pain Awareness
Abuse Allegations Spread to Various Fish in Sashimi Restaurant Aquariums

Yellowtail stored in the aquarium of a sashimi restaurant in a busy area of Seoul. Photo by Han Seung-gon hsg@asiae.co.kr.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] A controversy over fish animal abuse has arisen as aquaculture farmers who threw live fish at a rally site, causing their death, have been reported for violating the Animal Protection Act. Animal rights protection groups pointed out that living fish were used as tools in the rally.

The group also criticized the common practice in sashimi restaurants of keeping various fish in cramped aquariums and placing them on cutting boards. As the controversy over fish abuse arises, attention is focused on whether social awareness about so-called 'aquarium-kept fish' can be awakened.

On the 2nd, the animal rights protection group 'Animal Liberation Wave' held a press conference at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, accusing officials from the Gyeongnam Fishery Aquaculture Association of animal abuse at the protest site and reported the rally participants for violating the Animal Protection Act. Earlier, on the 27th of last month, the association protested at a rally in Yeouido, Seoul, opposing the government's import of live Japanese fish by throwing amberjack and red sea bream on the ground.

The group defined this act itself as clear animal abuse and strongly condemned it. The group criticized, "The Gyeongnam Fishery Aquaculture Association shouted that aquaculture fishermen were dying that day, but who actually died? It was the amberjack and red sea bream, born in any country to be eaten by humans and exploited for food throughout their lives. It is a clear scientific fact that fish also feel pain."

On the 27th of last month, the Gyeongnam Fish Farming Association brought live yellowtail and red sea bream to the rally in Yeouido and threw them onto the road in front of the Democratic Party headquarters. The photo shows various fish left abandoned on the street.

They continued, "Although fish animals are excluded from protection under the current Animal Protection Act when used for food, the amberjack and red sea bream used in the rally were brutally killed and used as tools of the protest," they pointed out.

They also claimed, "△ Putting domestic fish alive into plastic bags causing suffocation, △ Doing so in a public place, △ Causing death in front of conspecific animals, all constitute animal abuse."

According to the current Animal Protection Act (Article 2, Clause 1), 'animals' are defined as vertebrates with a developed nervous system capable of feeling pain, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. However, fish intended for food are excluded from this scope.

A representative of the Gyeongnam Fishery Aquaculture Association explained, "It was just a performance to convey the intention of the rally, not an act of abuse by throwing fish."

Yellowtail stored in the aquarium of a sushi restaurant in a busy area of Seoul. Photo by Seunggon Han hsg@asiae.co.kr.

◆ Controversy over fish animal abuse in sashimi restaurant aquariums... Citizens' reactions are divided

The group also called for a ban on the use of animals in aquaculture following criticism of fish abuse. They raised voices of criticism regarding fish confined in sashimi restaurant aquariums.

The group said, "Due to COVID-19, the climate crisis, and marine ecosystem destruction, the population that does not eat animals, whether Japanese or domestic, is increasing. The aquaculture industry should also prepare for a transition to an ethical society that does not use animals."

Animal Liberation Wave stated, "We do not want to see the animals used by the operators directly mobilized and brutally slaughtered at their rally sites, nor do we want to see fish animals confined in sashimi restaurant aquariums nationwide until they are placed on cutting boards."

Citizens' opinions on this are divided. Mr. Kim, a company employee in his 40s who said he usually enjoys sashimi, said, "I have never thought of eating sashimi as animal abuse." He added, "I have never felt that fish in aquariums, as claimed by animal protection groups, were abused." However, Mr. Kim added, "I have thought that it must be frustrating for fish to live in a narrow aquarium after living in the wide sea or rivers."

There are also counterarguments disagreeing with the animal rights protection group's claims. Mr. Lee, a worker in his 30s, said, "Fish used for food are not protected by law, so I cannot accept that it is abuse." He added, "There are people who like meat and those who enjoy vegetarianism, and I hope the group respects that."

Some argue that emotional responses are only to fish in aquariums. Ms. Park, a university student in her 20s, pointed out, "Well-prepared sashimi on the table is not a problem, but people only get angry at the sight of fish confined in aquariums." She criticized, "After all, meat and sashimi are all about killing life and cooking food. By the same standard, all are abuse."

Industry insiders expressed incomprehension. Mr. Kim, a 50s owner of a sashimi restaurant in a busy area of Seoul, said, "I have never thought of sashimi as animal abuse," and bluntly stated, "If it is uncomfortable, just don't eat it."

Mackerel are densely packed in the aquarium of a sashimi restaurant. [Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ "Fish respond to pain similarly to other vertebrates"

On the other hand, there is a view that it is clear animal abuse. American zoologists emphasize that fish also feel pain. Jonathan Balcombe, an animal behaviorist from the University of Tennessee who has written books and papers on animal behavior, animal protection, and veganism, argued in his 2017 book that "Denying fish's pain perception due to insufficient neuroanatomical evidence is like denying human swimming ability because they lack fins."

Colin Brown, a professor of behavioral ecology at Macquarie University in Australia, stated in a 2017 review paper on fish cognition and behavior published in the scientific journal that "There is a consensus in the academic community that fish respond to pain in a manner similar to other vertebrates."

Research also shows that fish intelligence is higher than previously thought. In 2003, scientists including Colin Brown, Kevin Laland, and Jens Krause reviewed over 500 papers studying fish intelligence. Their conclusion emphasized that fish are animals with much higher intelligence.

According to them, fish can use tools such as gathering aquatic plants or stones to build nests or shelters, have long-term memory, and form complex social structures. They can distinguish individuals belonging to their group, and fish that see others caught in nets avoid the nets. They maintain a kind of system cooperating to monitor predators and catch prey.

A street of raw fish restaurants in the city center. [Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ US researchers find fish seek painkillers... 'Pain perception' calls for fish management discussion

One research study supports these claims. A research team at Purdue University in the US conducted an experiment on fish pain perception by giving half of the goldfish in a tank a painkiller (morphine) and the other half a saline solution, then attaching a heater to their bodies to raise the temperature.

The heater was designed to automatically stop when a certain temperature was reached to prevent burns on the goldfish. The research team expected only the fish not given morphine to wriggle in pain, but the results were different.

Both groups of goldfish wriggled and showed painful reactions when the temperature rose above a certain level. The difference appeared after the heater stopped. Goldfish given morphine freely swam around the tank and ate food as before. In contrast, goldfish not given morphine showed cautious behavior and gathered on one side.

Both groups reacted reflexively to the rising temperature pain. The difference is that goldfish given morphine did not experience pain and returned to normal immediately, while those that experienced pain adopted a defensive posture. The research team explained that this study shows goldfish physically respond to pain and also recognize it.

Two hours after the experiment, this group of goldfish perceived pain as fear, similar to humans. The researchers suggested that fish management should be reconsidered in a way that ensures fish are treated humanely. The research results were published on the US scientific paper site 'EurekAlert.'

On the morning of the 2nd, Animal Liberation Wave held a press conference at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul to accuse the Gyeongnam Fish Farming Association of abusing live fish as tools for their rally. Photo by Animal Liberation Wave

In this regard, other countries apply animal welfare standards to all vertebrates except humans. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in the UK applies animal welfare standards to the breeding, transport, and slaughter of farmed fish. Norway applies animal welfare to fish farming such as salmon, requiring all fish to be stunned before slaughter.

The American Veterinary Medical Association stated in its 2013 euthanasia guidelines that "Fish should be treated equally with other terrestrial vertebrates regarding pain."

Animal rights protection groups urged social interest in fish abuse, emphasizing that fish clearly feel pain just like dogs and cats.

Animal Liberation Wave criticized, "We must not ignore their pain just because they do not scream like humans. Their pain is not only at 'rare strange rallies' but also in sashimi restaurant aquariums everywhere, live fish transport trucks, fish farms, fishing markets, and fishing boats at sea." They added, "Let's no longer be consumers who turn a blind eye to their pain. Please practice de-meat eating for animals together."