HOW FISH BECAME WARM-BLOODED IN THE UNITED STATES  

Fish welfare is an increasingly debated topic, especially within the aquaculture research community.  Many of the contentious issues are created by standards established by various Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUC) which were established in the Animal Welfare Act (AWA).   The definition of "animal" within the AWA clearly excludes all farm and cold-blooded animals, and further provides a specific exclusion for birds, rats, and mice.  This definition remains in place, even though the AWA has been revised since its creation.

In 1985 the federal government created an interagency working group, led by the Public Health Service, to address concerns coming from major drug companies in Europe.  Very little attention was paid to this working group's deliberations and proposals from agricultural animal researchers, as the core issues were centered on medical research labs.  In 1986, the federal government  began requiring IACUC review and approval for all research involving vertebrate animals.  This federal requirement has led to a universal requirement for all research involving any vertebrate animals at major institutions to be reviewed and approved by their IACUCs.  

This presentation will discuss the creation of the AWA, the conflict associated with policy and law being opposed to each other, and how aquaculture research has been captured in this process despite clear exclusion from the law that created the IACUC .