INTRODUCTION
Fish have been used in research to study embryological development, genetics, carcinogenesis, neuroscience, physiology and environmental safety testing. Fish are often used in research because they are easy to maintain in large populations and can have large numbers of offspring in a short period of time.
Common fish used in biomedical research are Goldfish (Carassius auratus), Channel Catfish (Ictalurus puctatus), Medaka (Oryzias latipes), Fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas), Swordtails (Xiphophorus helleri), Platyfish (Xiphophorus maculates) Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Zebrafish (Brachydanio rerio).
The zebrafish is a well-known animal model used in developmental biology and aquatic toxicology. Although information presented in this module is relevant to the humane care and use of all laboratory fish, specific information will be presented on the zebrafish.
