Does environmental enrichment promote recovery from stress in rainbow trout?

Pounder, Kieran C.; Mitchell, Jennifer; Thomson, Jack S.; Pottinger, T.G.; Buckley, Jonathan; Sneddon, Lynne U.

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2016.01.009

Cited by 57 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Several lines of evidence support the idea that environmental enrichment can greatly enhance the welfare of animals kept in captivity (Simpson and Kelly, 2011). With regards to fish, the available data suggest that the structural complexity of the rearing environment can alter fish behaviour and exert positive effects on their state of welfare and health by reducing the impact of stress (Pounder et al, 2016) with an effect comparable with that obtained with antidepressant and anxiolytic drug treatments (Giacomini et al, 2016). Moreover, environmental enrichment can increase brain development, enhance cognitive abilities (Salvanes et al, 2013) and improve the foraging skills (Rodewald et al, 2011) of farmed fish, simulating to some extent the spatial component of the ecological niche in the wild.…”

Section: Environmental Complexitymentioning

confidence: 97%

Review: Assessing fish welfare in research and aquaculture, with a focus on European directives

Toni

Manciocco

Angiulli

et al. 2019

Animal

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The number of farmed fish in the world has increased considerably. Aquaculture is a growing industry that will in the future provide a large portion of fishery products. Moreover, in recent years, the number of teleost fish used as animal models for scientific research in both biomedical and ecological fields has increased. Therefore, it is increasingly important to implement measures designed to enhance the welfare of these animals. Currently, a number of European rules exist as requirements for the establishment, care and accommodation of fish maintained for human purposes. As far as (teleost) fish are concerned, the fact that the number of extant species is much greater than that of all other vertebrates must be considered. Of further importance is that each species has its own specific physical and chemical requirements. These factors make it difficult to provide generalized recommendations or requirements for all fish species. An adequate knowledge is required of the physiology and ecology of each species bred. This paper integrates and discusses, in a single synthesis, the current issues related to fish welfare, considering that teleosts are target species for both aquaculture and experimental models in biological and biomedical research. We first focus on the practical aspects, which must be considered when assessing fish welfare in both research and aquaculture contexts. Next, we address husbandry and the care of fish housed in research laboratories and aquaculture facilities in relation to their physiological and behavioural requirements, as well as in reference to the suggestions provided by European regulations. Finally, to evaluate precisely which parameters described by Directive 2010/63/EU are reported in scientific papers, we analysed 82 articles published by European researchers in 2014 and 2015. This review found that there is a general lack of information related to the optimal environmental conditions that should be provided for the range of species covered by this directive.

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Section: Environmental Complexitymentioning

confidence: 97%

Review: Assessing fish welfare in research and aquaculture, with a focus on European directives

Toni

Manciocco

Angiulli

et al. 2019

Animal

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“…These provide places to hide and can allow individuals to escape from conspecific aggression. In salmonid species, the addition of physical enrichment can reduce basal plasma cortisol (Näslund et al, 2013) and aid recovery from a stressful event (Pounder et al, 2016). Physiological benefits such as forebrain cell proliferation have been associated with enrichment (Kihslinger & Nevitt, 2006;von Krogh et al, 2010) and the presence of enrichment has been linked to increased learning in some species (Carbia & Brown, 2019;Strand et al, 2010) but not others (Brydges & Braithwaite, 2009).…”

Section: Quality Of Housingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethical considerations in fish research

Sloman

Bouyoucos

Brooks

et al. 2019

Journal of Fish Biology

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Fishes are used in a wide range of scientific studies, from conservation research with potential benefits to the species used to biomedical research with potential human benefits. Fish research can take place in both laboratories and field environments and methods used represent a continuum from non‐invasive observations, handling, through to experimental manipulation. While some countries have legislation or guidance regarding the use of fish in research, many do not and there exists a diversity of scientific opinions on the sentience of fish and how we determine welfare. Nevertheless, there is a growing pressure on the scientific community to take more responsibility for the animals they work with through maximising the benefits of their research to humans or animals while minimising welfare or survival costs to their study animals. In this review, we focus primarily on the refinement of common methods used in fish research based on emerging knowledge with the aim of improving the welfare of fish used in scientific studies. We consider the use of anaesthetics and analgesics and how we mark individuals for identification purposes. We highlight the main ethical concerns facing researchers in both laboratory and field environments and identify areas that need urgent future research. We hope that this review will help inform those who wish to refine their ethical practices and stimulate thought among fish researchers for further avenues of refinement. Improved ethics and welfare of fishes will inevitably lead to increased scientific rigour and is in the best interests of both fishes and scientists.

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“…Enrichment can involve physical objects that either make an environment more complex (e.g. plastic plants, gravel substrate and overhead cover in a fish tank; Pounder et al, 2016) or can be used by the animals (e.g. perches in bird enclosures; Kalmar et al, 2010).…”

Section: Environmental Enrichmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, zebrafish housed for 7 months in barren tanks choose to interact with enrichment when given the option (Schroeder et al, 2014). In addition, rainbow trout housed in enriched tanks recover from stressors more quickly (Pounder et al, 2016;Fig. 3A), and it is known that background colour influences growth rates, physiological stress and behaviour in Xenopus (Holmes et al, 2016;Fig.…”

Section: Environmental Enrichmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Considering aspects of the 3Rs principles within experimental animal biology

Sneddon

Halsey

Bury

2017

Journal of Experimental Biology

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176

120

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The 3Rs - Replacement, Reduction and Refinement - are embedded into the legislation and guidelines governing the ethics of animal use in experiments. Here, we consider the advantages of adopting key aspects of the 3Rs into experimental biology, represented mainly by the fields of animal behaviour, neurobiology, physiology, toxicology and biomechanics. Replacing protected animals with less sentient forms or species, cells, tissues or computer modelling approaches has been broadly successful. However, many studies investigate specific models that exhibit a particular adaptation, or a species that is a target for conservation, such that their replacement is inappropriate. Regardless of the species used, refining procedures to ensure the health and well-being of animals prior to and during experiments is crucial for the integrity of the results and legitimacy of the science. Although the concepts of health and welfare are developed for model organisms, relatively little is known regarding non-traditional species that may be more ecologically relevant. Studies should reduce the number of experimental animals by employing the minimum suitable sample size. This is often calculated using power analyses, which is associated with making statistical inferences based on the -value, yet-values often leave scientists on shaky ground. We endorse focusing on effect sizes accompanied by confidence intervals as a more appropriate means of interpreting data; in turn, sample size could be calculated based on effect size precision. Ultimately, the appropriate employment of the 3Rs principles in experimental biology empowers scientists in justifying their research, and results in higher-quality science.

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Does environmental enrichment promote recovery from stress in rainbow trout?

Cited by 57 publications

References 61 publications

Review: Assessing fish welfare in research and aquaculture, with a focus on European directives

Review: Assessing fish welfare in research and aquaculture, with a focus on European directives

Ethical considerations in fish research

Considering aspects of the 3Rs principles within experimental animal biology

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