TROUBLED WATERS - Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

Table 1. Consideration of the 3Rs in the ethical review processReplacementAlternatives to the use of animals must be sought, and efforts to find alternatives documented.If no alternatives are found, and non-animal based experiments are deemed inappropriate,then explanation must be provided for the need for animal use and the reasons thatalternative approaches are inappropriate.ReductionResearch must use the minimum number of animals necessary to gain meaningful results.Expert consultation and advice must be sought to ensure appropriate statistical powerand biological relevance from all sampling and experimental procedures. On-going researchshould be subject to regular review to assess the potential for a downward revision ofnumber of the animals originally proposed.Refinement106A REVIEW OF THE WELFARE IMPLICATIONS OF MODERN WHALING ACTIVITIESAnimal suffering may be reduced by considering the precise techniques to be applied,whether there are alternative, less invasive techniques, and whether use of alternativepecies may permit use of alternative procedures. Researchers should justify the needfor specific experimental procedures and strive to reduce pain to an absolute minimumand to relieve suffering wherever possible.the government carried out a review of its effects on the use of animals in scientific establishments. Thereview identified a number of problems that led to compromised animal welfare, including: a lack ofawareness within institutions of the potential to improve animal welfare; a conflict between optimisinganimal welfare and optimising use of resources; and the existence of entrenched attitudes, incompetenceor insensitivity to animals (see Jennings et al.1997 for summary).Subsequent to this review, the UK Home Office (Home Office 2000) identified ethical review as one ofthe key requirements for improving animal welfare in scientific research establishments, combined withdeveloping initiatives to promote the widest possible application of the Three Rs. The establishment ofan ethical review process by research institutions has now been made mandatory in the UK. Similarly,in Australia, Animal Ethics Committees (Bradshaw 2000) associated with individual researchinstitutions carry out ethical reviews and issue permits to scientists within the institution.Ethical review is not only carried out at the level of a government or institution. Many scientificjournals now acknowledge the importance of ethical considerations and scientific papers submitted forpublication frequently require that researchers confirm that ethical approval was granted for the study.Some journals go further and have their own ethical review committees, publishing guidelines to whichsubmitted research must conform (e.g. Anon 2003).