Quantifying stress responses induced by different handling methods in three species of fish

Although interest in fish welfare is growing, little research has addressed the welfare of laboratory or ornamental fish. Our aim here was to evaluate the effects of handling fish with a scoop, where the fish remained submerged in water, compared to handling with a net. We investigated the effect of the scoop vs. a dip-net in three different species: three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), Panamanian bishops (Brachyraphis episcopi) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) using a variety of assays. The results demonstrate that keeping fish within water in a scoop while transferring them between tanks can, but not always, decrease the negative effects of handling on stress responses.