Identification of individual zebrafish (Danio rerio): a refined protocol for VIE tagging whilst considering animal welfare and the principles of the 3Rs

Rácz, A., Allan, B., Dwyer, T., Thambithurai, D., Crespel, A. and Killen, S. S. (2021) Identification of individual zebrafish (Danio rerio): a refined protocol for VIE tagging whilst considering animal welfare and the principles of the 3Rs. Animals, 11(3), 616. (doi: 10.3390/ani11030616) (PMID:33652779) (PMCID:PMC7996851)

Abstract

In aquatic ecology, studies have commonly employed a tagging technique known as visible implant elastomer (VIE). This method has not been widely adopted by the zebrafish research community and also lacks refinement with regard to animal welfare. The current paper introduces a new VIE tagging protocol, with the aim of improving existing tagging techniques by placing particular emphasis on the Three Rs. To improve animal welfare and fish survival, we added the use of an analgesic compound (lidocaine) through the marking procedure, followed by after-treatment with antiseptics (melaleuca, aloe vera, and PVP-I as active ingredients) to improve tissue regeneration and healing. The newly improved protocol has been quantitatively evaluated on different populations and age groups of zebrafish. This study will be useful to the scientific zebrafish community and to the wider field including biologist and aquarists, especially in consideration of animal welfare, where tagging techniques are considered as a potential noxious stimulus for fish.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Killen, Professor Shaun and Thambithurai, Davide and Crespel, Dr Amelie and Dwyer, Ms Toni and Allan, Ms Brooke and Racz, Miss Anita
• Authors: Rácz, A., Allan, B., Dwyer, T., Thambithurai, D., Crespel, A., and Killen, S. S.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Life Sciences; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
• Journal Name: Animals
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2076-2615
• ISSN (Online): 2076-2615
• Published Online: 26 February 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Animals 11(3): 616
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
167015		The Influence of Individual Physiology on Group Behaviour in Fish Schools	Shaun Killen	Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)	NE/J019100/1	Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine