The Aquatic Laboratory:

Fish in Research and Testing

AV Magazine Spring 2006, Aquatic Laboratory

The use of fish in testing and biomedical research is a growing trend in North America, especially in the areas of environmental toxicology and developmental biology. Evidence of this can be found in articles such as that printed in Animal Lab News earlier this year which discusses the care and treatment of fish, whose needs can vary enormously depending on the species. Unfortunately, fish are not covered under the Animal Welfare Act because this legislation is limited to protecting only certain warm-blooded laboratory animals. Thus, the number of fish used in U.S. laboratories is not known. In addition, exactly how fish are used, the breadth of possible pain and distress experienced, and when and how fish are killed is also information that remains in relative obscurity.

However, in Canada, fish are covered by the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC). On its website, the CCAC not only makes its system of oversight available, but it also makes public the numbers of fish used in research in Canada. As can be seen in the graph below, the numbers of fish used in Canadian laboratories rivals that of mice with as many as 1,000,000 being utilized in 2004.

Due to the increasing numbers of fish used in research, CCAC developed guidelines on the care and use of fish in research, teaching, and testing. These guidelines are an important step forward in recognizing the importance of providing humane care and treatment for all animals used in research, regardless of whether they are cold- or warm- blooded.

For more information of the CCAC’s guidelines, please visit
www.ccac.ca/en/CCAC_Programs/Guidelines_Policies/GDLINES/Guidelis.htm.

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