Annual statistics for regulated scientific procedures performed on protected animals under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986

16 July 2020

In the UK all experimental work 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 harm, 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 2019 (Table 1), with additional tabulations to enable comparison to our previous statistics (Tables 2 and 3).

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 2019 Cefas used 1,580 fish across thirteen species in scientific procedures that had the potential to cause suffering to the fish (Table 1). The species used reflect their importance to fisheries, environmental quality, aquaculture and recreational fishing.

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. This is reflected in the actual severity levels which fish experience – the vast majority of fish used in 2019 (76%) were categorised as a mild severity level; a further 16% were classified as sub-threshold (see Glossary, below). This maintains the pattern of previous years (Table 2), where a minority of individual fish (≤14%) have been subjected to moderate or severe levels of suffering, after applying all appropriate refinement techniques.

In 2019, European bass was the most used species (Table 1) which reflects their significance to aquaculture, and the importance of understanding wild fish movements and behaviour, and survival when discarded from commercial fishing operations, to stock management and conservation.

The other main species (common carp, three-spined stickleback, lumpfish) used in 2019 were within pathogen studies aimed at protecting the health of fish in the wild and within aquaculture.

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 2019 decreased markedly from previous years (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. Use of fish in 2020 is expected to be reduced by the COVID-19 situation which has restricted research in the both the laboratory and field.

In 2019, 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. Such replacement is a long-term goal and has not yet affected our animal use.

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 2019 (*actual severity level)

Species

Species (latin)

*Sub-threshold

*Non-recovery

*Mild

*Moderate

*Severe

Total (%)

European bass

Dicentrarchus labrax

120

276

476

(30%)

Common carp

Cyprinus carpio

268

316

(20%)

Three-spined stickleback

Gasterosteus aculeatus

265

285

(18%)

Lumpfish

Cyclopterus lumpus

170

239

(15%)

European smelt

Osmerus eperlanus

(5%)

Small-eyed ray

Raja microocellata

(4%)

Thornback Ray

Raja clavata

(3%)

Rainbow trout

Oncorhynchus mykiss

(3%)

Starry smooth hound

Mustelus asterias

(<1%)

Undulate ray

Raja undulata

(<1%)

Atlantic bluefin tuna

Thunnus thynnus

(<1%)

Spurdog

Squalus acanthias

(<1%)

Blonde ray

Raja brachyura

1 (<1%)

All

(%)

249

(16%)

(0%)

1196

(76%)

119

(8%)

(1%)

1580

(100%)

Table 2: Cefas use of protected animals within regulated scientific procedures 2016-2019 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%

Table 3: Cefas use of protected animals within regulated scientific procedures 2016-2019 by species

Species	Species (latin)	2016	2017	2018	2019	Total 2016-19
Sea/ Brown trout	Salmo trutta	4,549	3,756	554		8,859
Atlantic salmon	Salmo salar	4,568	707	983		6,258
Ballan wrasse	Labrus bergylta		1,041	2,338		3,379
European eel	Anguilla anguilla	1,297	204	68		1,569
European bass	Dicentrarchus labrax	309	573	68	476	1,426
Common carp	Cyprinus carpio	590	160	120	316	1,186
Minnow	Phoxinus phoxinus			1,006		1,006
Rainbow trout	Oncorhynchus mykiss	36	882		47	965
Bullhead	Cottus gobio			802		802
Three-spined stickleback	Gasterosteus aculeatus			142	285	427
Lumpfish	Cyclopterus lumpus				239	239
Chub	Squalius cephalus		160	2		162
Barbel	Barbus barbus		160			160
Turbot	Scophthalmus maximus		84	56		140
European smelt	Osmerus eperlanus	50			79	129
Starry smooth hound	Mustelus asterias		14	99	12	125
Goldfish	Carassius auratus			120		120
Thornback Ray	Raja clavata		51		51	102
Undulate ray	Raja undulata			65	5	70
Grayling	Thymallus thymallus	34	21	15		70
Small-eyed ray	Raja microocellata				65	65
Stone loach	Barbatula barbatula			39		39
Roach	Rutilus rutilus		3	26		29
Sea lamprey	Petromyzon marinus		28			28
Brook lamprey	Lampetra planeri			18		18
Perch	Perca fluviatilis			8		8
Pike	Esox lucius		3	3		6
Atlantic bluefin tuna	Thunnus thynnus				3	3
Spurdog	Squalus acanthias				1	1
Blonde ray	Raja brachyura				1	1
Gudgeon	Gobio			1		1
Total number of individual fish used		11,433	7,847	6,533	1,580
Number of species used		8	16	21	13

Related to this article

Topic

Science Topic

Aquatic animal health

Maintaining the health of wild and farmed seafood to minimise economic loss and maximise global aquatic food security

Find out More

Case studies

Case Study

Identifying non-native species risks

Find out More

Case Study

The use of long-read sequencing technologies for characterization of molluscan pathogens

Find out More

Case Study

EC guidance on sustainable aquaculture

Cefas was contracted by the European Commission to provide technical and regulatory background information to inform the development of a new regulatory guidance document.

Find out More