Fish Analgesia and Pain Management in Practice

Effective pain management for fish in research and aquaculture is advancing as evidence for fish pain perception strengthens.

Key Facts

Fish possess nociceptors, opioid receptors and show analgesic-responsive pain behaviour
Lidocaine, MS-222 and benzocaine are used for anaesthesia and analgesia in fish research
Morphine administration reduces rubbing and guarding behaviour in trout with painful stimuli
The 3Rs principles now explicitly apply to fish used in scientific procedures
Effective fish analgesia in aquaculture during delousing, grading and handling is less developed
Recognition of fish pain signs is more challenging than in mammals due to different anatomy
International efforts to develop fish welfare standards are increasing

Welfare Considerations

Fish pain management has historically been neglected due to assumptions about fish sentience that scientific evidence no longer supports. The result is that millions of fish in research and aquaculture experience painful procedures without analgesia. The science of fish pain is sufficiently advanced to justify both precautionary provision of analgesia for painful procedures and investment in species-specific analgesic development.

What You Can Do

Support research institutions with strong fish welfare and analgesia protocols
Choose seafood from producers demonstrating attention to fish pain management at harvest
Advocate for fish inclusion in mandatory pain management requirements in research regulations
Support organisations working to develop and implement practical fish analgesia in aquaculture