Guidelines for the Use of Fishes in Research

Preface

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781934874394.fmatter

The American Fisheries Society (AFS), the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH), and the American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists (AIFRB) are professional societies focused on the scientific understanding and the global protection, conservation, and sustainability of aquatic animals, fishery resources, and aquatic ecosystems. Their policies and standpoints are based primarily on information developed through scientific practices, but they also reflect ethical concerns, including the conservation of the diversity and abundance of fish populations, and respect for life and life processes. Research investigations on fishes, the environments in which they are found, the factors influencing the health and well-being of fishes, and the variety of human activities that depend upon and/or affect fishes are core pursuits for all three societies. Further, these societies believe that their members are responsible not only for advancing scientific knowledge and understanding of fish and fisheries but also for improving human appreciation for these animals and the industries that they support. All three societies actively promote research and the dissemination of information derived from that research. They also advocate respect for life processes, respect for the forms of life within various ecosystems, and the humane treatment of animals used in research investigations.