> Well, yeah, I *know* fish can't breathe air. :)
>
> I meant is the air irrevocably damaging? If we get water in our lungs, even if we are rescued and brought back into the air, we could still be drowning unless mouth-to-mouth is given. Is the reverse true for fish?

You can rescucitate a fish by holding it in the water and gently moving it along so the water flows over its gills. Depending on how long the fish has been out of water, it might take a long time to revive, if it is going to revive at all. Ideally, when you pick it up, you should hold it in a wet cloth or at least with wet hands to avoid rubbing off so much of the slimy stuff they have covering their skin; if this gets rubbed off they're prone to infections.

Brunnen-"you learn weird things when working for a dive magazine"G