We can now add fish to the handful of animals (including apes, elephants and orcas) who have passed a classic test of self-awareness by recognizing themselves in a mirror. Researchers in Japan recorded tiny cleaner wrasses, a type of coral reef fish, attempting to scrape off marks that had been placed on their throats or heads while they looked at their own reflections. Previous studies had shown that wrasses are brainy enough to use tools and cooperate with other species of fish to obtain food.
As Fish Amnesty Day (Sept. 22) approaches, this is a good reminder that all animals, whether they have fur or fins, deserve compassion. Science has repeatedly shown us that every fish is an individual _ a "who," not a "what" _ and it's pretty clear that we need to treat them better. We could start by not eating them.
Fish are every bit as complex as the cats and dogs who share our homes, yet as University of Texas fisheries ecologist Brad Erisman says, "People just look at fish as something to be put on a plate." That's our shortcoming, not theirs.
Research on fish sentience has revealed that fish have excellent long-term memories, are savvy social learners, develop cultural traditions and use tools. Pearlfish, for example, use oyster shells as speakers to help amplify the volume of their communications. (Although we can't hear them, fish "talk" all the time, by grinding their teeth, chirping, grunting and more.) Catfish and cichlids glue their eggs to leaves and small rocks so they can carry the precious cargo to safety.
Fish form friendships and prefer to interact with others who are loyal and familiar to them. In Thailand, a porcupinefish kept vigil by his friend, who had become entangled in a net, until snorkelers freed the trapped fish (the video went viral!). They have even been known to make friends with humans. Groupers, wrasses and other fish form bonds with divers who visit them regularly and approach their human friends for a gentle tummy rub or pat on the head.
They have unique personalities, think ahead and make appropriate situational decisions. In heavily fished lakes, bass quickly learn that lures are not food and will stop taking the bait. Rainbowfish can learn how to escape a net via a single hole after only five trial runs, and they still remember the escape route a year later _ not bad for a fish who only lives for two years.
They also play. Fish in aquariums have even been observed riding bubble streams _ just for fun.
And just like other vertebrates, they feel pain. In 2013, the American Veterinary Medical Association issued guidelines recommending that fish "be accorded the same considerations as terrestrial vertebrates in regard to relief from pain."
Yet despite our growing awareness of fish sentience and suffering, the fishing and "seafood" industries continue to subject these complex beings to what can only be described as torture.
More fish are killed for food each year than all other animals combined _ as many as 2.7 trillion every year _ yet they have no federal legal protection from abuse. When fish are dragged out of their ocean homes, their gills collapse, their eyes bulge out of their heads and their swim bladders burst because of the sudden pressure change. Those who survive slowly suffocate or are cut open on the decks of fishing boats, where they writhe and gasp as they bleed to death.
It's time to stop thinking of fish as little more than swimming entrees. This Fish Amnesty Day is a good time to try kinder options such as vegetable sushi, mock tuna salad, faux fish filets and more. They're easy to find in restaurants and grocery stores and prove that no animal needs to die for dinner.
