Annual statistics for regulated scientific procedures performed on protected animals 2020

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 experimental use of animals in 2020 (Table 1), with additional tabulations to enable comparison to our previous statistics (Tables 2 and 3).

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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 2020 Cefas used 2,404 individuals across ten 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.

The total number of animals we used in 2020 increased by 52% from the five-year low in 2019 (Table 3), and the pattern of harm changed with the majority judged to have experienced moderate (rather than mild) suffering (Table 2). These changes largely reflect pathogen challenge experiments conducted with rainbow trout, Atlantic salmon and lumpfish aiming to understand and reduce disease, a major welfare concern for farmed fish.

There is considerable variation between years in the species and numbers of fish used at Cefas (Table 3). This reflects changes in the laboratory and field research projects undertaken. The number of fish Cefas used in 2020 has decreased markedly since 2016 (Table 3). This is primarily due to the completion of some long-term field-based research projects and the closure of the experimental aquarium facility at the Lowestoft site, with aspects of the aquarium work being transferred to the Weymouth Laboratory during 2019.

Cefas has a strong culture of care, supported by Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Bodies which ensure all animal use is justified. Researchers minimise numbers used via robust experimental designs, and minimise suffering by implementing humane end-points and frequent monitoring. In 2020, Cefas continued investigating the use of fish embryos as a replacement for later (sentient) developmental stages in studies on the effects of chemicals and pathogens. Cefas researchers are active in the implementation and promotion of the 3Rs (Replacement, Refinement & Reduction) of animal use in research. For example, we have recently refined techniques used to attach tags to European bass and spurdog and published papers on:

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 2020 (*actual severity level)

Common name	Scientific name	*Sub-threshold	*Non-recovery	*Mild	*Moderate	*Severe	Total (%)
Rainbow trout	Oncorhynchus mykiss	150	-	223	909	11	1,293 (54%)
Atlantic salmon	Salmo salar	50	-	94	308	5	457 (19%)
Lumpfish	Cyclopterus lumpus	37	-	329	42	-	408 (17%)
Common carp	Cyprinus carpio	12	-	60	12	-	84 (3%)
Blonde ray	Raja brachyura	-	-	61	-	-	61 (3%)
European bass	Dicentrarchus labrax	-	-	51	-	-	51 (2%)
Atlantic bluefin tuna	Thunnus thynnus	-	-	18	-	-	18 (1%)
Spotted ray	Raja montagui	-	-	17	-	-	17 (1%)
European smelt	Osmerus eperlanus	-	-	12	-	-	12 (<1%)
Small-eyed ray	Raja microocellata	-	-	3	-	-	3 (<1%)
All (%)		249 (10%)	- (0%)	868 (36%)	1,271 (53%)	16 (1%)	2,404 (100%)

Table 2: Cefas use of protected animals within regulated scientific procedures 2016-2020 by severity

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%

Table 3: Cefas use of protected animals within regulated scientific procedures 2016-2020 by species.

Common name	Scientific name	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	Annual average
Sea/ Brown trout	Salmo trutta	4,549	3,756	554			1,772
Atlantic salmon	Salmo salar	4,568	707	983		457	1,343
Ballan wrasse	Labrus bergylta		1,041	2,338			676
Rainbow trout	Oncorhynchus mykiss	36	882		47	1,293	452
European eel	Anguilla anguilla	1,297	204	68			314
European bass	Dicentrarchus labrax	309	573	68	476	51	295
Common carp	Cyprinus carpio	590	160	120	316	84	254
Minnow	Phoxinus phoxinus			1,006			201
Bullhead	Cottus gobio			802			160
Lumpfish	Cyclopterus lumpus				239	408	129
3-spined stickleback	Gasterosteus aculeatus			142	285		85
Chub	Squalius cephalus		160	2			32
Barbel	Barbus barbus		160				32
European smelt	Osmerus eperlanus	50			79	12	28
Turbot	Scophthalmus maximus		84	56			28
Starry smooth hound	Mustelus asterias		14	99	12		25
Goldfish	Carassius auratus			120			24
Thornback Ray	Raja clavata		51		51		20
Undulate ray	Raja undulata			65	5		14
Grayling	Thymallus thymallus	34	21	15			14
Small-eyed ray	Raja microocellata				65	3	14
Blonde ray	Raja brachyura				1	61	12
Stone loach	Barbatula barbatula			39			8
Roach	Rutilus rutilus		3	26			6
Sea lamprey	Petromyzon marinus		28				6
Atlantic bluefin tuna	Thunnus thynnus				3	18	4
Brook lamprey	Lampetra planeri			18			4
Spotted ray	Raja montagui					17	3
Perch	Perca fluviatilis			8			2
Pike	Esox lucius		3	3			1
Spurdog	Squalus acanthias				1		0
Gudgeon	Gobio gobio			1			0
Total number of individual fish used		11,433	7,847	6,533	1,580	2,404
Number of species used		8	16	21	13	10

Annual statistics for regulated scientific procedures performed on protected animals 2020

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