Advancing experimental fish welfare: insights from the Swiss fish welfare meeting 2026
10 affiliations
- 1Goethe-Universitat Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Germany
- 2Universita degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
- 3Eawag, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- 4Universitat Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- 5Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- 6Fundacao Champalimaud, Lisbon, Portugal
- 7Fair-Fish, Zürich, Switzerland
- 8Nofima AS, Tromsø, Norway
- 9Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- 100Universite de Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
Abstract
Fish are widely used in research and aquaculture, yet many aspects of their welfare remain poorly understood. Recent years have seen a shift from health and disease prevention as cornerstones of wellbeing toward concepts of welfare that include behavior, affective states, cumulative lifetime experiences, and positive welfare. Current challenges relate to the taxonomic diversity of fishes, the dominance of zebrafish as model species, and the translation of welfare concepts across experimental, applied, and industrial settings. Knowledge gaps remain regarding welfare assessment, environmental enrichment, euthanasia, pain management, and the implementation of evidence-based refinement measures. Here we summarize the outcomes of the Swiss Fish Welfare Symposium 2026, which brought together researchers, caretakers, veterinarians, regulators, and industry. Participants identified drivers of change such as a Culture of Care, improved knowledge exchange, and incentive structures to reward refinement. Presentations emphasized the need for welfare research under realistic husbandry conditions, the development of cumulative and species-specific welfare assessment tools, and the generation of evidence for housing, enrichment, analgesia, euthanasia, and rehoming practices. Speakers stressed that recommendations developed under idealized conditions often fail to reflect the practical realities of research facilities and aquaculture systems. The symposium revealed a research field in transition from compliance-based approaches toward a vision of welfare that encompasses both animal and human well-being. Participants identified collaboration, systematic use of existing welfare data, and research beyond zebrafish as critical priorities. More broadly, discussions highlighted the need to bridge gaps between fundamental research, regulation, husbandry practice, and industry to achieve evidence-based and implementable improvements in fish welfare.
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BibTeX
@article{kirchmaier2026advancing,
title = {{Advancing experimental fish welfare: insights from the Swiss fish welfare meeting 2026}},
author = {Bettina Kirchmaier and Livia D’Angelo and Alexis Buatois and Gary Delalay and Nicolas Diserens and Rainer W. Friedrich and Britta Lundström-Stadelmann and Joana Monteiro and Yannick Rohrer and Linda Tschirren and Bernhard Voelkl and Guillaume Valentin and Andrina Zbinden-Hauzenberger and Sharon Wismer and Irene Adrian-Kalchhauser},
journal = {Frontiers in Physiology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fphys.2026.1917263},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2026.1917263},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Advancing experimental fish welfare: insights from the Swiss fish welfare meeting 2026
AU - Bettina Kirchmaier
AU - Livia D’Angelo
AU - Alexis Buatois
AU - Gary Delalay
AU - Nicolas Diserens
AU - Rainer W. Friedrich
AU - Britta Lundström-Stadelmann
AU - Joana Monteiro
AU - Yannick Rohrer
AU - Linda Tschirren
AU - Bernhard Voelkl
AU - Guillaume Valentin
AU - Andrina Zbinden-Hauzenberger
AU - Sharon Wismer
AU - Irene Adrian-Kalchhauser
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - Frontiers in Physiology
DO - 10.3389/fphys.2026.1917263
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2026.1917263
AB - Fish are widely used in research and aquaculture, yet many aspects of their welfare remain poorly understood. Recent years have seen a shift from health and disease prevention as cornerstones of wellbeing toward concepts of welfare that include behavior, affective states, cumulative lifetime experiences, and positive welfare. Current challenges relate to the taxonomic diversity of fishes, the dominance of zebrafish as model species, and the translation of welfare concepts across experimental, applied, and industrial settings. Knowledge gaps remain regarding welfare assessment, environmental enrichment, euthanasia, pain management, and the implementation of evidence-based refinement measures. Here we summarize the outcomes of the Swiss Fish Welfare Symposium 2026, which brought together researchers, caretakers, veterinarians, regulators, and industry. Participants identified drivers of change such as a Culture of Care, improved knowledge exchange, and incentive structures to reward refinement. Presentations emphasized the need for welfare research under realistic husbandry conditions, the development of cumulative and species-specific welfare assessment tools, and the generation of evidence for housing, enrichment, analgesia, euthanasia, and rehoming practices. Speakers stressed that recommendations developed under idealized conditions often fail to reflect the practical realities of research facilities and aquaculture systems. The symposium revealed a research field in transition from compliance-based approaches toward a vision of welfare that encompasses both animal and human well-being. Participants identified collaboration, systematic use of existing welfare data, and research beyond zebrafish as critical priorities. More broadly, discussions highlighted the need to bridge gaps between fundamental research, regulation, husbandry practice, and industry to achieve evidence-based and implementable improvements in fish welfare.
SN - 1664-042X
ER -