7841

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7841
• Author: Nickum, J. G.
• Title: Guidelines for Use of Fishes in Field Research
• USFW Year: 1988
• USFW - Doc Type: Fisheries
• Copyright Material: YES

..-
numbers of animals removed from the 'wild must be
kept to the minimum the investigator determines is
necessary to accomplish the goals of the study. This
statement should not be interpreted as proscribing study
and/or collection of uncommon species.. Indeed, collec-
tion for scientific study is crucial to understanding why
a species is uncommonly observed.
k. The number of specimens required for an investigation
will vary greatly, depending upon the questions being
explored. As discussed later in these guidelines, certain
kinds of investigations require collection of relatively
large numbers of specimens, although the actual percent
of any population taken will generally be very small.
Studies should use the fewest animals necessary to
reliably answer the questions posed. Use of adequate
numbers to assure reliability is essential, as studies Based
on insufficient numbers of fishes will ultimately require
repetition, thus wasting any benefit derived from any
animal distress necessarily incurred during the study.
Numerous publications exist that will assist investigators
and animal care committees in implementing these general
guidelines; a number of such journals, monographs, etc.
are listed in Appendix A.
Role of the Institutional Animal
Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
Field resources for the care and use of fishes are very
different from laboratory resources, and the role of the
IACUC necessarily is limited to considerations that are
practical for implementation at locations where field research
is to be conducted. Prevailing conditions may prevent
investigators from following these guidelines to the letter
at all times. Investigators must, however, make every effort
to follow the spirit of these guidelines to every extent
possible. The omission from these guidelines of a specific
research or husbandry technique must not be interpreted
as proscription of the technique.
The IACUC must be aware that while fishes typically
used in laboratory research represent a small number of
species with well understood husbandry requirements, the
classes Agnatha, Chondrichthyes, and Osteichthyes contain
at least 20,000 distinct species with very diverse and often
poorly known behavioral, physiological, and ecological
characteristics. Therefore, "...inmost cases, it is impossible
to generate specific guidelines for groups larger than a few
closely relates( species. Indeed, the premature stipulation
of specific guidelines would severely inhibit humane care
as well as research" (9). The IACUC must note the frequent
use of the word "should" throughout these guidelines, and
be aware that this is in deliberate recognition of the diversity
of animals and situations covered by the guidelines. Inves-
tigators, on the other hand, must be aware that use'of the
word "should" denotes the ethical obligation to follow these
guidelines when realistically possible.
Before approving applications and proposals or proposed
significant changes in ongoing activities, the IACUC shall
conduct a review of those sections related to the care and
use of fishes and determine that the proposed activities are
in accord with these guidelines, or that justification for a
departure from these guidelines for scientific reasons is
presented.
When field studies on wild vertebrates are to be reviewed,
the IACUC must include personnel who can provide an
understanding of the nature and impact of the proposed
field investigation, the housing of the species to be studied,
and knowledge concerning the risks associated with main-
taining certain species of wild vertebrates in captivity. Each
IACUC should therefore include at least one institution-
appointed member who is experienced in zoological field
investigations. Such personnel may be appointed to the
committee on an ad hoc basis to provide necessary expertise.
When sufficient personnel with the necessary expertise in
this area are not available within an institution, this ad hoc
representative may be a qualified member from another
institution.
Field research on native fishes usually requires permits
from state and/or federal wildlife agencies. These agencies
review applications for their scientific merit and their po-
tential impact on native populations, and issue permits that
authorize the taking of specified numbers of individuals,
the taxa and methods allowed, the period of study, and
often other restrictions that are designed to minimize the
likelihood that an investigation will have deleterious effects.
Permission to conduct field research rests with these agen-
cies by law, and the IACUC should seek to avoid infringe-
' ment on their authority to control the use of wildlife species.
If manipulation of parameters of the natural environment
(daylength, etc.) is not part of the research protocol, field
housing for fishes being held for an extended period of
time should approximate natural conditions as closely as
possible while adhering to appropriate standards of care
(10,11). Housing and maintenance should provide for the
safety and well-being of the animal, while adequately
allowing for the objective of the study.
An increasing body of knowledge (e.g., 12) indicates that
pain perception of the many species of vertebrates is not
uniform over the various homologous portions of their
bodies. Therefore, broad extrapolation of pain perception
across taxonomic lines must be avoided. For example, what
causes pain and distress to a mammal does not cause an
equivalent reaction in a fish (13).
Field Activities With Wild Fishes
1. Collecting
Field research with fishes frequently involves capture of
specimens, whether for preservation, data recording, mark-
ing, temporary confinement, or relocation. While certain of
these activities are treated separately below, they form a
continuum of potential field uses of fishes.
The collection of samples for museum preservation from
natural populations is critical to: (1) understanding the bY-
ology of animals throughout their ranges and over time; (2)
the recording of biotic diversity, over time and/or in dif-
ferent habitats; and (3) the establishment and maintenance
of taxonomic reference material essential to understanding
the evolution and phylogenetic relationships of fishes and
for environmental impact studies. The number of speci-
mens collected should be kept at the minimum the inves-
tigator determines necessary to accomplish the goal of a
study. Some studies, e.g., diversity over geographic range
18 - Fisheries, Vol. 13, No. 2