Fish welfare is still a relatively new field. As such, regulations and protocols to ensure fish welfare are currently limited and vary considerably in different jurisdictions. This is in part because of the ongoing controversy as to whether or not fish feel pain. This controversy has persisted for several years, yet veterinarians have been mostly absent from the discussion so far. This essay aims to address this issue. Here, it is argued that while this controversy has its place, it is unlikely to be resolved in the near future. Fish welfare could instead be improved by pursuing more clinically applicable research to increase knowledge of fishes’ behavior and physiology. Such research would assist in learning the optimal environment for their specific needs, as well as compiling some verified indicators of pain in fish. This would then lead to improved studies that could help to determine if and when analgesic drugs can be beneficial in fish, as they are in many other species.

鱼类福利仍然是一个相对较新的领域。因此，确保鱼类福利的法规和协议目前受到限制，并且在不同的司法管辖区相差很大。部分原因是关于鱼是否感到疼痛的持续争论。这场争论已经持续了好几年，但是到目前为止，讨论中大多没有兽医。本文旨在解决这个问题。在这里，有人争辩说，尽管这场争论有其应有的地位，但在不久的将来不太可能解决。相反，可以通过开展更多临床上可应用的研究来增加鱼类的行为和生理知识，从而改善鱼类的福利。此类研究将有助于学习针对其特定需求的最佳环境，并汇编一些经过验证的鱼痛指标。