Ciezarek, Adam
Gardner, Luke
Savolainen, Vincent
Block, Barbara
Funding for this research was provided by:
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Leverhulme Trust
Article History
Received: 26 September 2019
Accepted: 8 September 2020
First Online: 17 September 2020
Ethics approval and consent to participate
: Dr. Block of Stanford University has animal care approval for sampling captive Pacific bluefin tuna in her facility the Tuna Research and Conservation Center. The facility is overseen by Stanford Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and all procedures were conducted under a Stanford protocol approved through the university. The Research Compliance Office of Stanford University reviews all Stanford animal care requests in compliance with U.S. federal law. Our use of tunas as laboratory animals at the Tuna Research and Conservation Center for research is established with protocols that are submitted to IACUC to oversee and evaluate our research protocols. At Stanford, the IACUC is appointed by the University Vice Provost and Dean of Research and is known as the Administrative Panel on Laboratory Animal Care (APLAC). Stanford’s APLAC membership is comprised of faculty, veterinarians, public members, students, and senior staff.The only permissions required for fish collections in the Pacific off California are from the State of California. Dr. Block has collected the fish in this manuscript with permissions and permits obtained from the State of California. We utilized a scientific collecting permit for Pacific bluefin tuna that was applied for and approved in the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. This permitted the collection of the animals and transport to Monterey. This is the only requirement for collections of wild fish.The Pacific bluefin tuna is classified as vulnerable according to the Red List. The Pacific bluefin tuna is used due to its exceptional physiology, and the ability for small numbers to be kept in the Tuna Research and Conservation Center.
: Not applicable.
: The authors declare no competing interests.