# fish heads
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-heads/24309
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 1, 2000, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-heads/24309 "2000-07-01T22:37:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2000, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-heads/24309/1 "2000-07-01T22:37:24Z")
My 2 guys just came back from fishing.
Do fish feel pain or not?
I know its dead now(“It’s dead, Jim.”)
but I’ve heard they don’t feel it, but who ever asked them eh?
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### Author:  [@vandal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vandal)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2000, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-heads/24309/2 "2000-07-01T22:49:58Z")
Fish respond to stimili. Thus, it can be deduced that a central nervous system is present, indicating nerves. As such, the standard of definition of “pain” can be applied here. But to what degree, is unknown, at least to me.
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### Author:  [@Wood\_Thrush](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wood_Thrush)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2000, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-heads/24309/3 "2000-07-02T02:25:31Z")
When we cut fish’s heads off _we_ don’t feel pain. That’s all that really matters.
Hey, fish: :wally
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### Author:  [@jayron\_32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayron_32)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2000, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-heads/24309/4 "2000-07-02T03:05:26Z")
fish heads fish heads rolly polly fish heads
fish heads fish heads eat them up yum!
AM I the only one that remembers that song?
Oh, and Woodthrush has the right idea. As long as you’re not torturing the little guys for pure entertainment, I wouldn’t get too caught up in the moral implications of catch and release bucketmouth bass fishing. Enjoy…
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### Author:  [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2000, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-heads/24309/5 "2000-07-02T03:21:27Z")
From what I’ve been led to understand, fish have comparatively few nerves in the mouth area. Supposedly, most fish struggle when hooked primarily because they are being dragged somewhere they don’t particularly want to go, like say the frying pan, not because they are experiencing pain. That may or may not be true, but consider this: most freshwater fish in North America, when caught and released, stop feeding for a period of time up to two days. You’d likely do the same if you were gaffed in the mouth with a crowbar, even if you aren’t all that “sensitive”.
However, some fish have _very_ sensitive mouths. The carp, in addition to possessing a modified hemoglobin to allow it to live in low-oxygen environments and being highly intelligent (for a fish), has a trumpet-shaped extendable mouth that can detect the presence of a hook. If they do detect a hook, or even the fishing line, they drop the bait right away. This makes them very difficult to catch.
On the other hand, my favorite sport fish, the smallmouth bass, likes to dine on some pretty feisty critters. Three in particular are crayfish, helgrammite larvae, and madtoms (grouchy, spiky little immature catfish) all of which pack a pinch, poke or nip which can be painful even to a big beer-drinking Neandertal like me. I caught several nice, healthy bronzebacks today on the heavily fished Potomac this afternoon. None looked the worse for wear for having been repeatedly caught and released.
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### Author:  [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2000, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-heads/24309/6 "2000-07-02T05:36:51Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*
> fish heads fish heads rolly polly fish heads
> fish heads fish heads eat them up yum!
>
> AM I the only one that remembers that song?
>
> Oh, and Woodthrush has the right idea. As long as you’re not torturing the little guys for pure entertainment, I wouldn’t get too caught up in the moral implications of catch and release bucketmouth bass fishing. Enjoy…
> \*\*
They don’t play baseball,
They don’t wear sweaters…
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### Author:  [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2000, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-heads/24309/7 "2000-07-02T08:36:03Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*
>
> > [@](#):
> >
> > \*\*
> > fish heads fish heads rolly polly fish heads
> > fish heads fish heads eat them up yum!
> >
> > AM I the only one that remembers that song?
> >
> > Oh, and Woodthrush has the right idea. As long as you’re not torturing the little guys for pure entertainment, I wouldn’t get too caught up in the moral implications of catch and release bucketmouth bass fishing. Enjoy…
> > \*\*
>
> They don’t play baseball,
> They don’t wear sweaters…
> \*\*
I took my fish heads,
out to see a movie.
Didn’t have to pay,
to get them in.
Great. Now I have this running through my head.