Zebrafish have become one of the most widely used vertebrates in biomedical research, and their rapid growth in use has outpaced development of species-specific welfare standards and husbandry guidelines.
The welfare of zebrafish in research settings has received growing attention as their use has expanded dramatically. As vertebrates regulated under animal welfare legislation, zebrafish are entitled to the same 3Rs consideration as mammals. Social housing, appropriate water quality, adequate environmental complexity and minimisation of handling stress are welfare requirements that research protocols must consider. The gap between zebrafish welfare standards and those for traditional model mammals reflects the recency of their widespread adoption rather than any lesser welfare relevance. Improving zebrafish welfare through better husbandry guidance, social housing requirements and refined experimental protocols simultaneously improves both animal welfare and research reproducibility.