“What Is It Like to Be a Bass? Red Herrings, Fish Pain and the Study of Animal Sentience”

This article discusses the ongoing debate about whether fish feel pain or merely respond to nociception (tissue damage). The authors review concepts of consciousness and identify “red herring” measures they argue should not be used to infer sentience because these are also present in non-sentient organisms. They suggest that more valid indicators might include working memory, operant conditioning, and higher-order cognition. Due to the lack of definitive evidence, the debate remains unresolved. The authors call for precautionary principles to protect fish welfare while acknowledging the high evidential standards required to prove fish sentience.