Jose Cuervo

Sorry I've been so lame lately. I just haven't had the energy to sit down and do a legitimate post because so much shit has been going on with me that I'm having trouble wrapping my head around anything right now. I just bought a fish and decided to name him Jose Cuervo, yes like the title of the post, and the tequila. My friend Rachelle inspired me, and I have to say buying this fish is one of the best decisions I have made in the past few weeks, as weird as that sounds. For the past hour I have just sat and stared at him, making faces and giggling like a little school girl. Anyway, Rachelle has been trying to convince me that fish have feelings, which I just can't seem to agree with. I mean, fish have the attention span of like 5 seconds, so how cant they feel happy, sad, pissed off or tired? I decided to do some research about the topic and here is what I came up with . . .

"To many, the notion that we should care about the suffering of fish seems absurd. For most, fish amount to little more than swimming protein, a healthy food to be plucked from rivers and seas.

But, as a disturbing new book shows, scientists are now confident that fish, once symbolic of dumb, primitive stupidity, do not only feel pain, but have a complex emotional life, too. Indeed, there is 'no logical reason why we should not extend to fish the same welfare considerations that we currently extend to birds and mammals'. Their expressionless 'faces', their lack of limbs and their alien aquatic environment make it ambiguous whether fish should be regarded on the same level as birds, reptiles and mammals, or lumped in with the worms, insects and lobsters.

Either way, convincing people that fish can suffer was never going to be easy. The first question is whether fish are equipped with the senses that would enable them to feel pain? Using two chemicals - bee venom and vinegar - it has been shown that fish which have been injected with these 'painful' stimulants around the mouth react very differently to those that have not - rubbing the affected area and losing interest in their food until the poison had worn off.

But the question of whether fish actually suffer had still not been answered. Even the most primitive microbes will flinch or try to escape if attacked with a blade, electricity or fire. This, however, is not the same as 'suffering'. An amoeba cannot be said to suffer simply because it lacks the necessary organ - a brain - with which to do so. CAN fish suffer? Well, recent experiments certainly showed that a fully developed pain 'pathway' is present in goldfish, linking receptors in the skin, via the spinal cord, to the brain. The question is whether they are aware, or conscious, of pain in the same way we are. Only then could they be said to suffer.

Well, scientists in Madrid have discovered that goldfish, previously the very byword for stupidity, have the ability to learn and remember their way around mazes. Male cichlids, aggressive freshwater tropical fish, have been found to be able to gauge the fighting abilities of potential rivals simply by watching earlier bouts. This ability - to create a mental ranking - is called transitive inference, and humans cannot do it until they are four years old. Perhaps the most convincing evidence that fish have 'minds' comes from studies of two reef species: the grouper and the moray eel. Swiss scientists have found that these predators cooperate in catching prey. The fat grouper is adept at chasing smaller fish around the reef. But sometimes its dinner escapes into the cracks and crevices, and so they cleverly hunt with a partner. If the prey flits into a tight hole, the grouper signals to its eel 'friend' which, being narrow and lithe, is able to finish the hunt.
What is extraordinary about this is that, aside from humans, who hunt with dogs, this is just about the only example of two separate species cooperating in a hunt. And it requires intelligence, memory and planning.

So, more and more scientists - there are still sceptics - believe fish can feel pain. Furthermore, they demonstrate intelligence and self-awareness."

Wow, you go in thinking one thing and come out thinking another! I, who was originally a skeptic that fish have no feelings, am beginning to change my mind! I guess I should try to be kind to Jose Cuervo for fear that he may end up hating me.

Information courtesy of Daily Mail.