Fish are the most numerically abundant vertebrates used in biomedical research. Improving anesthesia and pain management practices for laboratory fish is an important and often neglected welfare priority.
Fish welfare in laboratory settings has historically received minimal attention compared to mammals and birds. Regulatory frameworks in many jurisdictions provide limited or no protection for fish, and cultural assumptions about fish sentience have delayed adoption of pain management practices. The scientific evidence base for fish nociception and stress responses has grown substantially, making the ethical case for improved welfare practices stronger. Providing anesthesia for invasive procedures, monitoring recovery quality, and developing fish-specific welfare assessment tools are practical steps that research institutions can take now. Extending the same duty of care to fish that applies to rodents would represent a major improvement for millions of animals.