Zebrafish

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are being used in increasing numbers within molecular biology, developmental biology, neurobiology, genetics, cancer research and drug discovery, due to the low costs of maintaining them, their short generation interval, the transparency of the embryos and the ability to manipulate the genome.

There are frequent meetings about the care and use of zebrafish. Please see our International Meetings Calendar and our list of past meetings (where there still may be information on the meeting websites).

International survey on the use and welfare of zebrafish Danio rerio in research (Journal of Fish Biology, February 2017)

General resources for the care and use of fish in research
A collection of links to resources for the housing and husbandry of zebrafish, from the NA3RsC

Guidance documents

• Zebrafish: Housing and husbandry recommendations (2019): Joint Working Group Report from the European Society for Fish Models in Biology and Medicine (EUFishBioMed), which has since changed its name to the European Zebrafish Society (EZS) and the Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations (FELASA)
• Guidance on the housing and care of zebrafish (2011), produced by the Research Animals Department of the RSPCA
• Textbooks on zebrafish
• Recommendations for health monitoring and reporting for zebrafish research facilities (Collymore et al., 2016)
• Skin swabbing is a refined technique to collect DNA from model species (Tilley et al., 2020)
• A low-cost method of skin swabbing for the collection of DNA samples from small laboratory fish (Breacker et al.) Powerpoint slide about the technique(Kristine von Krogh)
• Enrichment for Laboratory Zebrafish - Review of the Evidence and the Challenges (Stevens et al., 2021) 
• A fish is not a mouse: understanding differences in background genetics is critical (Crim & Lawrence, 2020)
• Toward an integrated zebrafish health management program supporting cancer and neuroscience research (Martins et al.)
• Guidelines for anaesthesia and analgesia of fish (Gidona Goodman)
• Guidelines for health and welfare monitoring of fish in research
• Guidance on the severity classification of procedures involving fish
• An overview of existing guidelines for handling, bleeding, administration and identification techniques for fish (Penny Hawkins, 2009)
• What do zebrafish want? Impact of social grouping, dominance and gender on preference for enrichment (Schroeder et al., 2014)
• Köhler A et al. (2017): Report of Workshop on Euthanasia for Zebrafish - A Matter of Welfare and Science
• Effectiveness of recommended euthanasia methods in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) (Strykowski & Schech, 2015)
• Euthanizing zebrafish legally in Europe: Are the approved methods of euthanizing zebrafish appropriate to research reality and animal welfare? (Valentim et al., 2016)
• Evaluation of rapid cooling and Tricaine Methanesulfonate (MS222) as methods of euthanasia in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) (Wilson et al., 2009)
• Automated monitoring of behaviour in zebrafish after invasive procedures (Fish Behaviour Index) Deakin et al., 2019
• Improved zebrafish welfare through enrichment, behavioural assessment and analgesia

Organisations and web collections

• The European Zebrafish Society (EZS), formerly EuFishBioMed
• European Zebrafish Resource Center (EZRC)
• Zebrafish Husbandry Association (ZHA)
• Zebrafish Information Network (ZFIN)
• ZFIN Protocol Wiki
• Zebrafish International Resource Center (ZIRC)
• Norwegian Zebrafish Platform
• British Association of Zebrafish Husbandry (BAZH)

• Zebrafish anatomy portal 

Selected references on anaesthesia and analgesia of zebrafish

• Lopez-Luna J et al. (2017): Impact of stress, fear and anxiety on the nociceptive responses of larval zebrafish
• Do Fish perceive Anaesthetics as Aversive? (2013)
• Anesthesia and Euthanasia in Zebrafish (2012)
• A Low-Cost Method of Skin Swabbing for the Collection of DNA samples from Small Laboratory Fish 
• Efficacy and Safety of 5 Anesthetics in Adult Zebrafish (Danio rerio) (2014)
• A New Anaesthetic Protocol for Adult Zebrafish (Danio rerio): Propofol combined with Lidocaine (2016) 
• Conditioned Place Avoidance of Zebrafish (Danio rerio) to Three Chemicals Used for Euthanasia and Anaesthesia (2014)
• Behavioural Effects of the Commonly Used Fish Anaesthetic Tricaine Methanesulfonate (MS-222) on Zebrafish (Danio rerio) and Its Relevance for the Acetic Acid Pain Test (2014)
• A Novel Behavioral Fish Model of Nociception for Testing Analgesics (2011)
• Combined use of MS-222 (tricaine) and isofluorane extends anesthesia time and minimizes cardiac rhythm side effects in adult zebrafish (2010)
• The Efficacy of Clove Oil as an Anesthetic for the Zebrafish, (Danio rerio) Hamilton (2004)  

Other literature and media articles

• An Encyclopedia of Experiments (video collection of research techniques on JOVE)
• Links to Zebrafish resources from the Tecniplast website
• Zebrafish journal (with Technofish sections)
• Contemporary Topics in Zebrafish Husbandry and Care: report of a meeting in 2014
• Presentations from Harmonisation of the Care and Use of Fish in Research, Gardermoen 2009
• Dissection of Organs from the Adult Zebrafish
• Zebrafish: the rising star of animal models
• Behind the scenes of zebrafish research
• A Gelatin-based Diet for Oral Dosing Juvenile to Adult Zebrafish (Danio rerio)
• Is heightened-shoaling a good candidate for positive emotional behavior in zebrafish? (Franks et al., 2018)
• The role of water chemistry in zebrafish welfare and reproducibility of research studies (project led by Roderic Wilson)
• Effects of environmental enrichment on survivorship, growth, sex ratio and behaviour in laboratory maintained zebrafish Danio rerio
• Welfare challenges influence the complexity of movement: Fractal analysis of behaviour in zebrafish
• Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Environmental Summary, Aquatic Resources Program, Boston Children's Hospital

Presentations

• Presentations and Report from the 1st Nordic Zebrafish & Medaka Care Workshop, Oslo, 7 February 2018:
  • Norecopa: Resources for improving animal research (Adrian Smith)
  • Zebrafish Husbandry Association: available resources for the community (Catarina Certal)
  • Zebrafishing in Lisbon (Congento) (Catarina Certal)
  • Can technology in Lab Animal Science support reproducible and precise research? (Massimo Ferrari)
  • Euthanasia of zebrafish and medaka (Kristine von Krogh)
  • Common health problems in lab fish and how to detect them (Marianne Kraugerud)
  • Update from the Joint Working Group for Zebrafish Guidelines (Peter Aleström) 
  • The Zebrafish core facility at Karolinska Institut (Lars Bräutigam)
  • Report from the meeting
  • Impressions from the meeting by the Swedish 3R-Center
• 3Rs Resources and Guidelines for Zebrafish (presentation by Adrian Smith at the NC3Rs/Cefas workshop on Addressing the needs for refinement of laboratory fish in Weymouth, 26-28 April 2016). This presentation includes an overview of international guidelines for the care and use of zebrafish; organisations and journals related to zebrafish research; suggestions on how to improve literature searches and reporting. A shorter version, just containing the 3R resources and guidelines, is available here.

• Detection and alleviation of pain in fish, a presentation by Dr. Lynne Sneddon, Liverpool University, at Norecopa's annual general meeting in 2015 (zebrafish are mentioned).

Zebrafish facilities

• The Norwegian Zebrafish Platform
• Zebrafish Facility, Bateson Centre, University of Sheffield