Fish pain (with uncertainty/disagreement) Sentience

Summary

Many researchers argue fish have the neural substrates and behavior consistent with pain experience, while some dispute the interpretation of behavioral evidence. The evidence base supports *precautionary* welfare treatment of fish as sentient, but scientific debate persists on subjective experience details.

Evidence Summary

Evidence for: nociceptors, behavioral trade-offs, analgesic effects, learning and avoidance.
Evidence against: alternative explanations and critiques of inference from behavior. Evidence quality: Moderate (active debate) Limitations / nuance: “Do fish feel pain like humans?” is a different question from “do fish have morally relevant suffering.” Bottom line: The weight of evidence supports treating fish as sentient for ethical decision-making, with transparency about debate.