A unique application to the IACUC for studies of wild animals in or from natural settings

The format of an application to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) frequently is designed to obtain detailed information from medical faculty proposing studies involving a precisely determined number of a few well-characterized species in a controlled laboratory setting. Unfortunately, these application formats typically are less than ideal for marine and field biologists attempting to propose studies of large populations of diverse organisms in a comparatively uncontrolled environment and somewhat unpredictable setting. Traditional IACUC applications rarely address topics of field capture, restraint, marking, animal care in the field, and release of animals back into the environment. Yet the IACUC at institutions that receive federal funds for research involving vertebrate animals is obligated by federal policy to ensure that field studies adhere to the same basic tenets of humane animal care, use, and treatment that guide traditional laboratory animal studies. The University of South Florida IACUC established written policies and developed a specialized application to the IACUC that specifically requests from biologists the relevant details of their proposed field research involving vertebrate animals. These new policies and application format have improved understanding and communication of field biological studies and have helped ensure accountability of vertebrate animal use in the field.