Research projects involving fish

Norecopa collaborates with research institutions seeking funding from the Norwegian Research Council, and applies for funds for its own projects from relevant organisations. Norecopa has also from time to time a limited amount of money to support projects on a case-by-case basis. This page describes activities related to the care and use of fish in research and testing.

• Frameworks for classifying the welfare of farmed Atlantic salmon based upon the principles of severity assessment (2021-2025)
  

  A Research Council funded project to provide standardised severity assessment frameworks for classifying the welfare of farmed Atlantic salmon, which are urgently needed. The project is described in more detail here.

• Hepatic 3D spheroids: the next generation of testing in toxicology (SPHERTOX) (2021-2025)
  A Research Council funded project to assess the performance of hepatic 3D spheroids from rainbow trout as an alternative chronic toxicity- and bioconcentration system, alone or in co-culture with other cell types, with increased comparability towards in vivo test systems. The project is described in more detail here.
  
  
• FishEnds-DIG (2020- )
  Norecopa has in 2020 and 2021 contributed to a project which is developing an app to measure the clinical state of fish during experiments.
  The project is described in more detail here.

• ENRICH Fish (2015-2017)
  A Research Council funded project to improve the rearing conditions and welfare of Atlantic salmon used in laboratory experiments. The project is described here.
  
  
• 3R-strategy for fish (3R-KART) (2010-2012)
  A project initiated by Norecopa to establish suggestions for a platform for increasing implementation of the 3Rs in Norwegian fish research. It was funded by the Animal Protection Fund of the Norwegian Animal Protection Alliance, the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, and Norecopa. There is more information about this project here.
  
  
• Fish in Research - environmental requirements and welfare indicators in fish (2009)
  The Research Council of Norway, in collaboration with the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, asked Norecopa to examine the need for research within welfare of fish used in research. In the Spring of 2009 a working group of 8 members was appointed to conduct this task. The Report (103 pages, in Norwegian) entitled Fisk i forskning - miljøkrav og velferdsindikatorer hos fisk (Fish in research - environmental requirements and welfare indicators in fish) was published by the Research Council in 2009 (Utvalgsrapport, Havbruksprogrammet).
  
  
• The potential to increase use of the 3Rs in the development and validation of fish vaccines (2010-2011)
  Norecopa commissioned experts from the Norwegian Veterinary Institute to write a report on this issue. The report  can be read here.
  
  
• Norecopa arranged an international consensus meeting on the care and use of fish in research in 2009, as a follow-up to a similar meeting arranged by the temporary platform in 2005.

Relevant work conducted by the temporary National Platform, before the foundation of Norecopa (2007):

• Guidelines for health and welfare monitoring of fish used in research, published in Laboratory Animals, 40(4): 323-340, 2006.
• Harmonisation of the Care and Use of Fish in Research: 
  Report from an international consensus meeting
  The meeting was held at Gardermoen in May 2005, with 99 participants from 10 countries. ISBN 82-7725-114-9.
  More information and presentations from the meeting.
• Handout at the AquaNor exhibition in Trondheim (2005)
• Acts and Regulations concerning the Care and Use of Fish in Norwegian research (2005).
  The aim of the report was to provide an overview of the Acts and Regulations governing the care and use of fish in research in Norway. This included Regulations that demand the use of fish in the development of medicines (including fish vaccines), testing of chemicals and toxin diagnosis.
  Emphasis was also placed on how this legislation affects implementation of the 3Rs. ISBN 82-7725-113-0
• Analyse av forsøksfisk benyttet i Norge i 2003: Antall, arter og formål (An analysis of the fish used in research in Norway in 2003: Numbers, species and use)
  This analysis was published in Norwegian, but with an English summary and conclusions. ISBN 82-7725-115-7