Fish demonstrate a wide range of cognitive abilities including tool use, social learning, and spatial memory — evidence that supports taking their welfare seriously.
The cognitive abilities of fish challenge the intuition that they are simple reflex machines. Tool use, social learning, and what may be self-awareness all indicate cognitive complexity that is associated with the capacity for experience in other animals. These findings support the already-robust evidence from nociception research — fish have the hardware for pain — with evidence that they have the cognitive complexity for richer experience. Taking fish cognition seriously has direct implications for how we design and regulate aquaculture, fisheries, and experimental use of fish.