Annual statistics for regulated scientific procedures performed on protected animals 2021

In the UK, research with protected (sentient) animals which has the potential to cause suffering is regulated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (Amended Regulations 2012), usually referred to as ASPA. This regulation requires researchers to minimise animal use and suffering, and report the numbers of individuals used and the severity of the harm they experienced to the Home Office. As a signatory of the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research, Cefas is publishing its statistics on use of animals in regulated scientific procedures in 2021 (Table 1), with additional tables to enable comparison to previous years (Tables 2 and 3). We have also produced an infographic to help explain our scientific use of animals.

 

salmon in an aquarium tank

Cefas conducts applied research using fish which aims to: protect wild populations, biodiversity and the environment; and reduce disease and improve welfare in cultured stocks. In support of these aims, in 2021 Cefas used 4,151 individuals across 10 species in scientific procedures that had the potential to cause suffering to the fish (Table 1). The species used reflect their importance to aquaculture, fisheries, environmental quality, and recreational fishing.

 

There is considerable variation between years in the species and numbers of fish used by Cefas (Table 3). The total number of animals used in 2021 increased by 73% from 2020 but has decreased markedly since 2016 (Table 3). Annual fluctuations largely reflect changes in laboratory and field research programmes, some programmes were limited because of COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021. The pattern of severity in 2021 was similar to 2020, with the majority of fish judged to have experienced moderate suffering (Table 2). The 2021 figures mainly reflect pathogen challenge experiments conducted with Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout and lumpfish aiming to understand and reduce disease, a major welfare topic for the millions of fish farmed in the UK. Each experiment exposing fish to such pathogens requires internal statistical and ethical approval, and the fish are assessed several times a day, with individuals being euthanised when clinical signs match pre-specified criteria.   

Cefas maintains a culture of care, supported by its Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Bodies which ensure all animal use is justified. Researchers optimise numbers used via appropriate experimental designs and minimise suffering by implementing humane end-points and frequent monitoring. We incorporate environmental enrichment into laboratory tanks where appropriate. Cefas researchers are active in the implementation and promotion of the 3Rs (Replacement, Refinement & Reduction) of animal use in research. For example, Cefas has a long track record of developing and using electronic data storage tags that collect a wealth of time series of data from individual wild fish.  Within the last year we have also published papers on:

• Refinement of the fish acute toxicity test
• Opercular shortening in laboratory reared Atlantic salmon

Glossary (terms as defined in the Guidance on the Operation of ASPA):

Regulated procedure: “A procedure is regulated if it is carried out on a protected animal for a scientific or educational purpose and may cause that animal a level of pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm equivalent to, or higher than, that caused by inserting a hypodermic needle according to good veterinary practice.”

Sub-threshold: “below the level of pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm equivalent to that caused by inserting a hypodermic needle according to good veterinary practice”.

Non-recovery: “Procedures which are performed entirely under general anaesthesia from which the animal shall not recover consciousness”.

Mild: “Procedures on animals as a result of which the animals are likely to experience short-term mild pain, suffering or distress, as well as procedures with no significant impairment of the well-being or general condition of the animals”.

Moderate: “Procedures on animals as a result of which the animals are likely to experience short-term moderate pain, suffering or distress, or long-lasting mild pain, suffering or distress as well as procedures that are likely to cause moderate impairment of the well-being or general condition of the animals”.

Severe: “Procedures on animals as a result of which the animals are likely to experience severe pain, suffering or distress, or long-lasting moderate pain, suffering or distress, as well as procedures that are likely to cause severe impairment of the well-being or general condition of the animals”.

 

Table 1: Cefas use of protected animals within regulated scientific procedures in 2021 by actual severity level. Names according to FAO’s ASFIS List of Species for Fishery Statistics Purposes (Squalus acanthias is also commonly known as the spiny dogfish or spurdog).

Common name	Scientific name	Sub-threshold	Non-recovery	Mild	Moderate	Severe	Total	(%)
Atlantic salmon	Salmo salar	330			2,148	12	2,490	60%
Rainbow trout	Oncorhynchus mykiss	197		319	239	90	845	20%
Lumpfish	Cyclopterus lumpus	191		154	68	35	448	11%
Common carp	Cyprinus carpio	58		170	6		234	6%
Picked dogfish	Squalus acanthias			43			43	1%
European seabass	Dicentrarchus labrax				34		34	1%
Sea (brown) trout	Salmo trutta				25		25	1%
European smelt	Osmerus eperlanus				18		18	0%
Atlantic bluefin tuna	Thunnus thynnus			13			13	0%
Angelshark	Squatina squatina			1			1	0%
All	All	776	0	700	2,538	137	4,151	100%
(%)	(%)	19%	0%	17%	61%	3%	100%

Table 2: Cefas use of protected animals within regulated scientific procedures 2016-2021 by severity (actual severity for 2018 onwards).

Year	Sub-threshold	Non-recovery	Mild	Moderate	Severe	Total
2016	1%	0%	93%	6%	0%	100%
2017	3%	0%	84%	11%	2%	100%
2018	4%	0%	83%	14%	0%	100%
2019	16%	0%	76%	8%	1%	100%
2020	10%	0%	36%	53%	1%	100%
2021	19%	0%	17%	61%	3%	100%

Table 3: Cefas use of protected animals within regulated scientific procedures 2016-2021 by species. Names according to FAO’s ASFIS List of Species for Fishery Statistics Purposes.

Common name	Scientific name	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	Annual average
Atlantic salmon	Salmo salar	4,568	707	983		457	2,490	1,534
Sea (brown) trout	Salmo trutta	4,549	3,756	554			25	1,481
Ballan wrasse	Labrus bergylta		1,041	2,338				563
Rainbow trout	Oncorhynchus mykiss	36	882		47	1,293	845	517
European eel	Anguilla anguilla	1,297	204	68				262
European seabass	Dicentrarchus labrax	309	573	68	476	51	34	252
Common carp	Cyprinus carpio	590	160	120	316	84	234	251
Lumpfish	Cyclopterus lumpus				239	408	448	183
Eurasian minnow	Phoxinus phoxinus			1,006				168
Bullhead	Cottus gobio			802				134
Three-spined stickleback	Gasterosteus aculeatus			142	285			71
Chub	Leuciscus cephalus		160	2				27
Barbel	Barbus barbus		160					27
European smelt	Osmerus eperlanus	50			79	12	18	27
Turbot	Scophthalmus maximus		84	56				23
Starry smooth-hound	Mustelus asterias		14	99	12			21
Goldfish	Carassius auratus			120				20
Thornback ray	Raja clavata		51		51			17
Undulate ray	Raja undulata			65	5			12
Grayling	Thymallus thymallus	34	21	15				12
Small-eyed ray	Raja microocellata				65	3		11
Blonde ray	Raja brachyura				1	61		10
Picked dogfish	Squalus acanthias				1		43	7
Stone loach	Barbatula barbatula			39				7
Atlantic bluefin tuna	Thunnus thynnus				3	18	13	6
Roach	Rutilus rutilus		3	26				5
Sea lamprey	Petromyzon marinus		28					5
European brook lamprey	Lampetra planeri			18				3
Spotted ray	Raja montagui					17		3
European perch	Perca fluviatilis			8				1
Northern pike	Esox lucius		3	3				1
Gudgeon	Gobio gobio			1				1
Angelshark	Squatina squatina						1	1
Total number of individual fish used		11,433	7,847	6,533	1,580	2,404	4,151	5,658
Number of species used		8	16	21	13	10	10