A very good question. The book releases in the U.S. April 17, click on the image to pre-order it from Amazon.com

Until now, people have considered fish to be on the lowest end of our food chain, and because of that they are fished with surprising cruelty. Perhaps because of their aquatic environment and lack of warm blood and fur, the human theory has generally been that fish are not as clever as mammals, they have no memories and they don’t feel pain. Victoria Braithwaite, professor of fisheries and biology at Pennsylvania State University has written a new book titled: “Do Fish Feel Pain?” and finds that, basically, yes, they do. In 2003 Braithwaite herself determined that fish indeed feel pain and discomfort, and other studies have proved that even goldfish can have good memories, and male cichlids are known to observe fighting patterns in a future rival before taking him on. They have much in common with other vertebrates, including humans, why should we still think of them as plants? This will surely get the fishing enthusiasts up in arms, I can’t wait to see what happens.

Source: Daily Mail

Do Fish Feel Pain? published by Oxford University Press, releases March 25 in the U.K. and April 19 in the U.S.

photo by Nemo's Great Uncle

Lake Tanganyika has its own type of clownfish, and though they are smiling, they don’t look much like Nemo. Still, we couldn’t help but share that the January issue of National Geographic Magazine features a lovely article about the often orange and white marine clownfish, discussing, among other things, their strange cohabitation with anemones. It’s definitely worth a read, and as we’ve come to expect from National Geographic, there are some beautiful photos.

Click here to go to the article.

Source: LikeCool

Not too much to say here, except “I want to buy these for Gam!”

Source: Highsnobeity

Mors, a U.K. based footwear company plans to release a line of sneakers made from Fish Leather. I suppose if the fish are being fished anyway, like for food (one of the fish they use is Arctic Salmon from the north of Iceland), then it’s good to use as much of the animals as possible. They say the shoes are really hard to make, and they’ll probably cost a fortune (shoes sold on the Mors e-store range from 180 to 260 British pounds). They will be available for purchase in Autumn 2010.

If you went wading in them, would the other fish come up to say hi?

photo by tiswango

A popular target for recreational and commercial fishing, the red grouper may have more to give to the world than just delicious meals. Scientists from the University of Florida have observed this fish cleaning sand from rocky areas, literally digging holes in the ocean floor so that other diverse sea creatures who are attracted to the rocks, such as coral and sponges, can live there. For this reason, they’re calling the red grouper “underwater architects.”

If the red grouper population starts to decrease, other marine life who depend on its cleaning practices could be negatively affected as well. Scientists and officials are realizing it may be time to rethink how we regulate fishing.

Source: Washington Post (click the link to see the red grouper in action)

photo by Graphic Reality

In Australia, it’s raining fish!

A recent article on the Northern Territory News website speaks of residents finding small fish on the ground far from rivers and creeks. Some believe they fell from the sky during heavy rainstorms, others say that little fish get caught up in water spouts that start over rivers then travel across the land, but the most likely theory is that creeks have flooded during heavy desert rainstorms, delivering their occupants far from home.

Read the full story here.