How refinement techniques for laboratory zebrafish can reduce suffering and improve both welfare and research quality.
Zebrafish refinement has lagged behind mammalian laboratory animal welfare despite their increasing use in biomedical research. As vertebrates with clear nociceptive capacity, zebrafish warrant the same welfare consideration as rodents. Refinement priorities include social housing — zebrafish are shoaling fish and suffer in isolation — environmental enrichment, validated anesthesia protocols for procedures, and humane endpoints that minimize duration of suffering before experiment termination.