Out of Water, Into Agony: New Study Reveals the Hidden Torment of Fish

By now, most of us understand that animals feel pain. But when it comes to aquatic life, this understanding often dissolves like salt in water. A groundbreaking study published in Scientific Reports has exposed the harrowing reality too often ignored: the prolonged suffering fish endure when pulled from water.

Led by Cynthia Schuck-Paim of the Welfare Footprint Institute, the research quantifies what was long felt intuitively by animal advocates. When fish, particularly rainbow trout, are removed from water and left to die by asphyxiation—a common commercial practice—they can experience up to 22 minutes of intense pain.

This isn't some abstract biological reaction. Within just five seconds of air exposure, fish exhibit biochemical responses akin to human panic and terror. Their gills collapse, CO₂ builds up, and their blood acidifies—transforming a silent death into a drawn-out nightmare of gasping, twisting, and physiological agony.

Using the Welfare Footprint Framework, the researchers evaluated pain not just by presence, but by duration and severity—revealing that each kilogram of fish represents roughly 24 minutes of moderate to extreme pain, with some cases exceeding an hour. Considering that over a trillion fish are caught and killed annually, the scale of suffering is unfathomable.

Some industry practices, such as electrical stunning, have been proposed as harm-reduction measures—but their effectiveness is inconsistent. The real challenge lies in shifting public perception and industry standards—seeing fish not as commodities, but as sentient beings deserving of empathy.

This study is more than a data point. It's a mirror held up to our consumption habits. It reminds us that silence doesn't mean peace, and that beneath the still surface of a fish's eye, there may be pain as real and undeserved as any we've ever felt.