Physical environmental enrichment as a confounding variable in fish behavioural research

Abstract

Globally, millions of fish are used for scientific purposes annually. They are frequently reported as being the second most utilised taxa after mice (e.g. in Europe). For freshwater fish, research into environmental change is a priority due to the poor conservation status of many species. In turn, a large body of laboratory-based research is aimed at better understanding and mitigating impacts of human activity on fish, particularly those that affect important aspects of behaviour. Such research should be robust and transferable if they are to help solve applied (conservation/ management) problems. Based largely from a European perspective, this Case Study considers physical environmental enrichment (e.g. the addition of objects and substrates into the husbandry environment) as a confounding variable in fish behavioural research. Some of the growing body of evidence that demonstrates impacts of physical environmental enrichment on fish behaviour, including when they are placed into novel environments, as is commonly the case in applied fish behaviour research, is introduced. Key steps to help control this potential confounding variable are outlined, including ways of making more informed decisions on the provision of environmental enrichment, assessing aspects of welfare when implementing changes to the husbandry environment, and encouraging more thorough reporting in scientific publications to improve replication. The intention is to encourage researchers, aquarium technicians or others involved in the care of laboratory fishes to more carefully consider the provision of physical environmental enrichment, ultimately improving both fish welfare and the robustness and reproducibility of behavioural research.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Andrew S. Vowles: orcid.org/0000-0001-8253-5938

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