What a Fish Knows

I underestimated fish for a long time. I’ve been amazed by recent evidence that some of them will seemingly recognize themselves in mirrors, make logical inferences, or hunt in teams with octopuses.

I found Balcombe’s book an absorbing tour through this new picture of fish: creatures equipped with minds that help them solve the challenges of their underwater worlds.

To research my book I read lots of books about new findings in animal cognition.

Animals are smarter than science used to give them credit for, more emotional than science ever dared believe, and they even have personalities. But for me, the most mind-blowing of the many books I read on this topic was this book about the inner lives of fish.

Like so many others, I had assumed they were pretty dim-witted, and even believed they didn’t feel pain. Not so! This book explains the new science of what fish lives are like and it is truly amazing how… show more.

I was raised to think fish do not feel pain. When I hooked my first fish, a rock bass, as a young boy, I was initially proud of my catch. But when I went to carve the fish and felt the eyes looking up at me, I experienced very different feelings: guilt and regret. It turns out that, so many years later, scientists are telling us that fish do feel pain, that they are highly intelligent in ways that we are only just beginning to understand. Hopefully, this book will open eyes and hearts and convince people that seafood is… show more.