Transcript Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) Field

Institutional Animal Care and Use
Committee (IACUC)
Field Studies
J. Edward Gates, Ph.D.
Committee Chair
Appalachian Laboratory
University of Maryland Center for Environmental
Science
I. Field Studies
"I'm a Field Biologist. Must I submit my protocol for
IACUC review?"
Federal regulations and Guidelines dealing with animal
welfare focus mainly on biomedical and behavioral
research, teaching, and testing that takes place in the
LABORATORY.
Yet, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees
(IACUCs) must ensure that ALL PROJECTS involving
the use of live vertebrate animals comply with federal
regulations and guidelines.
So the question is asked, "Where do "Field Studies" fit
in the regulatory puzzle?"
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal
Welfare Act (AWA) regulations define the term “Field
Study” and specifically exempt such activity from
IACUC review.
"Field study means any study done on free-living wild
animals in their natural habitat, which does not involve
an invasive procedure, and which does not harm or
materially alter the behavior of the animals under study."
A. Examples of Field Studies
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Short term trapping for census
Measuring weight or length
Blood sampling—non-invasive or invasive?
Collection of hair
Identification, such as radio collars, tattoos, or ear
tags
• Behavioral observations
• Mortality studies, e.g., road kills, bird and bat kills at
tall buildings, towers, etc.
B. Field Studies NOT Satisfying the USDA Definition
“However, if the animals are confined in any way, an
invasive procedure is involved, or the behavior of the
animal is harmed or materially altered, then they are
regulated and must comply with the regulations and
standards.”
Examples:
• Surgery
• Implanting telemetry device
• Housing animals >12 hours before release
C. IACUC review of such studies would be
necessary and would focus on, but not
necessarily be restricted to, such issues as:
i. Number of animals to be used in the study, and the
stability of the population from which the animals are
to be taken,
ii. The appropriateness of the methods used for
capturing, immobilizing, and euthanizing the animals;
and
iii. The training and supervision of the personnel
involved with the study.
D. Field Studies Satisfying the USDA Definition
If a proposed field study satisfies the USDA definition,
and if the USDA were the only federal agency to whom
the IACUC were answerable, then such a study would
be exempt from IACUC review.
However, field studies often cannot satisfy the USDA
definition, and the IACUC is also answerable to Public
Health Service (PHS) Guidelines.
E. Field Studies that Satisfy the USDA Definition
Are Not Exempt From IACUC Review Since Our
Institutional Assurance is to the PHS
The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
(P. 5), states that
" Zoonoses and occupational health and safety issues
should be reviewed by the IACUC to ensure that field
studies do not compromise the health and safety of
other animals or persons working in the field."
The National Science Foundation (NSF), a major
funding agency for ecological field studies, requires that
proposed projects involving use of any vertebrate animal
for research or education be approved by the submitting
organization's Institutional Animal Care and Use
Committee (IACUC) before an award can be made.
For this approval to be accepted by NSF, the
organization must have a current Institutional Animal
Welfare Assurance established with the Public Health
Service (PHS).
Both the federal law and the Policy mandate that
IACUCs review the proposed use of wild or exotic
animals for accepted humane policies involving field
and/or laboratory research with vertebrate animals.
Therefore, field studies exempted by USDA regulations
must be reviewed by the IACUC in order to comply with
our Institutional PHS Assurance. The focus of the review
would be those issues mentioned in the text quoted above.
UMCES requires an IACUC review of all research,
teaching and diagnostic protocols that involve the use of
live vertebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, or
mammals) irrespective of source of funding (Departmental,
Public, or Private) or purpose (Biomedical, Biological,
Agricultural, Wildlife, Testing, Education, Diagnostics, etc.).
In addition to being an UMCES requirement and a
requirement of most funding agencies, it is expected by
an increasing number of scientific journals for
publication of your research!
However, the inclusion of free-ranging wildlife under the
mandated review of the IACUCs has posed several
problems, not the least of which include:
The review of the use of species for which there
are no established guidelines or standards and
The general lack of specific expertise on many
IACUCs regarding the appropriate conduct of
field studies.
In response, NSF Program Officers suggested that the
appropriate professional societies formulate field
research Guidelines to assist researchers and IACUCs.
F. Rather Than Covering Species-specific Training,
Which Would Be Nearly Impossible, I Refer You to the
Following 4 Guidelines
GUIDELINES FOR THE CAPTURE, HANDLING, AND
CARE OF MAMMALS, American Society of Mammalogists
http://www.mammalsociety.org/committees/commanimalcar
euse/98acucguidelines.PDF
GUIDELINES TO THE USE OF WILD BIRDS IN
RESEARCH, Ornithological Societies of North America
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/BIRDNET/GuideToUse/Guidelines_
2d_edition.pdf
GUIDELINES FOR USE OF LIVE AMPHIBIANS AND
REPTILES IN FIELD AND LABORATORY RESEARCH,
Second edition, Revised by the Herpetological Animal Care
and Use Committee (HACC) of the American Society of
Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH), 2004.
http://www.asih.org/files/hacc-final.pdf
GUIDELINES FOR USE OF FISHES IN RESEARCH,
American Fisheries Society, American Institute of Fishery
Research Biologists, American Society of Ichthyologists
and Herpetologists, 2004
http://www.fisheries.org/afs/publicpolicy/guidelines2004.pdf
G.
Other Useful Publications and Web Sites
AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY
http://www.fisheries.org/afs/index.html
FISHERIES TECHNIQUES, 2ND EDITION
http://www.fisheries.org/afs/publications.html
THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY
http://www.wildlife.org/
TECHNIQUES FOR WILDLIFE INVESTIGATIONS
AND MANAGEMENT, Edited by C. Braun (2006),
6th Ed.
These Guidelines, in general, deal with issues such as
collection procedures, humane methods of euthanasia,
identification practices, methods for collection of tissue
and blood samples in the field, and transport and release
of specimens.
These Guidelines are considered to be "Living
Documents" and will be revised with continuing input from
members of the various professional societies.
These Guidelines are the primary means for the IACUC
to evaluate field protocols. Researchers who are
planning field studies might benefit by consulting one or
more of these references.
Given the generalities within the Guidelines, we also
utilize basic Guidelines governing laboratory animals,
publications in respected journals and textbooks,
standard veterinary protocols, personal experience, and
the input of the Principal Investigator.
At times we may also request advice or comment from
well-known experts in the research area under review.
G. UMCES PHS Assurance States That Laboratory
and manipulative experimental field studies of
vertebrate animals are to be conducted only on
finfish, amphibians and reptiles
• Although fieldwork on fish, amphibians, and reptiles
is referenced, field studies on birds and mammals are
not mentioned in UMCES PHS Assurance.
• However, such studies, as defined under the USDA
AWA, would be permissible, subject to review,
approval, and oversight by the UMCES IACUC.
• When designing your project it is your responsibility to
ensure that necessary federal and state permits are
obtained in a timely fashion. A valid UMCES collecting
permit does not supercede the need to obtain additional
authorization in specific cases, e.g., federal Birdbanding Permit.
IACUC Protocol Review does not free you from other
regulatory requirements nor does acquisition of permits
or approval from any management agency supersede
IACUC Protocol Review
Our Committee Welcomes Questions or Suggestions.
Feel Free to Directly Contact Any Member of the
UMCES IACUC
UMCES IACUC Website:
http://www.al.umces.edu/iacuc