Animal Care

Animal Care Guidelines

BMSC is committed to the humane and ethical care and use of animals and adheres to the principle that in order for animal use to be justifiable in scientific research and teaching, it is only acceptable if it has the potential to contribute to the understanding of fundamental biological principles, or to the development of knowledge that can reasonably be expected to benefit humans or other animals. BMSC adheres to the principle that all research involving animals must be justifiable and have good scientific merit.

BMSC complies with Canadian Council on Animal Care Guidelines and policies with the Russell-Burch tenet of, “replacement, reduction and refinement”.

The BMSC Animal Care Committee (BACC) ensures that all animal users are informed of and comply with institutional animal care and use policies.

Please read the BMSC Animal Care Committee Terms of Reference.


Animal Use Protocol (AUP) Application Process

1.  Apply For Your Respective Permit(s):

2. Submit Your Respective Animal Use Protocol (AUP)

Please allow for 60 days for a full AUP review. If you have trouble downloading the files below, check your ad blocker or try a different browser. BACC meetings will happen one week after submission deadlines for all AUPs:

  • March 1st for proposed research start dates between April 1st  – June 1st.
  • May 1st for proposed research start dates between June 2nd – August 1st.
  • July 1st for proposed research start dates between August 2nd and October 1st.
  • September 1st for proposed research start dates beginning after October 2nd and before April 1st of the next calendar year
  1. For research involving vertebrates & cephalopods, submit an AUP Form – Vertebrates & Cephalopods.
  2. For field observation of vertebrates & cephalopods with minimal to no disruption,  submit an AUP Form – Observation.
  3. For collection of any animals at BMSC which are destined for transport and use at a different institution, submit an AUP Form – Collections for External Use.
  4. At any point, you may apply for an amendment to your AUP via the AUP Form –  Amendment. Note, the magnitude of the ammendment will effect processing time.
  5. Multi-year AUPs must be renewed every year with an AUP Form – Renewal for a maximum of three years.
  6. For research involving invertebrates, please submit an Invertebrate Use form at least 30 days prior to experimentation.

For more information on the AUP approval process, please see The  BMSC Animal Care Committee Terms of Reference at the top of the page.

As indicated on the forms above, all AUP forms must be sent to the Animal Care Coordinator for approval.


Tips for Completing Your AUP:

  • Researchers are welcome and encouraged to seek advice from the Head of Animal Care and the Head of Research Services concerning their AUPs prior to submission.
  • Researchers are also encouraged to use the various CCAC Guidelines as a reference
  • SOPs for the care and use of animals should be referred to within your AUP wherever appropriate. Species specific animal care SOPs can be found below.

INSTRUCTORS- Before You Arrive:

Please allow for 60 days for a full AUP review. If you have trouble downloading the files below, check your ad blocker or try a different browser. BACC meetings will happen one week after submission deadlines for all AUPs:

  • March 1st for proposed course start dates between April 1st  – June 1st.
  • May 1st for proposed course start dates between June 2nd – August 1st.
  • July 1st for proposed course start dates between August 2nd and October 1st.
  • September 1st for proposed coursestart dates beginning after October 2nd and before April 1st of the next calendar year
  1.  If you are using vertebrates or cephalopods, you must complete and submit the Animal Use Protocol (AUP): Teaching form prior to the start of your course.  No collecting or animal use may occur prior to the approval of this AUP. Course instructors are asked to sign off on their approved AUPs upon arrival at BMSC. In addition to the AUP form, the Pedagogical Merit Form also needs to be filled out (once every four  years per course unless there is a new instructor or greater than a minor revision to the AUP). A reminder all individuals handling animals must need Institutional Animal User Training.
  2. If you are only performing field observation of vertebrates with minimal to no disruption (CCAC COI B), you must complete an AUP: Observation Form.
  3. If you are using invertebrates (excluding cephalopods), please submit the invertebrate use form within 30 days of your planned collection activity.

Note: All education activities are covered under the BMSC Education Permits including:  DFO Scientific Licence and ITC Permits, and Huu-ay-aht First Nations Heritage Investigation Permit. For access to these permits, please email The Animal Care Coordinator to see if your planned activities fall with in the scope, or if you need to apply for additional permits.

For more information on the AUP approval process, please see The  BMSC Animal Care Committee Terms of Reference at the top of the page.

As indicated on the forms above, All AUP forms and contents must be sent to the Animal Care Coordinator for approval.


Tips for Completing Your AUP:

  • Instructors are welcome and encouraged to seek advice from the Head of Animal Care and University Programs concerning their AUPs prior to submission.
  • Instructors are also encouraged to use the various CCAC Guidelines as a reference
  • SOPs for the care and use of animals should be referred to within your AUP wherever appropriate. Species specific animal care SOPs can be found below.

Student research projects must fall under the class AUP. Additionally, all student projects must fill out a project proposal form that is approved by the UP Coordinator, Safety and Animal Care before the collection of animals/research can commence. This approval process occurs at the Round Table and is encapsulated within course time.

Additionally, every student must read and understand The Animal Care: Univerity Programs Handout. This commitment to animal care must be reviewed with the animal care staff before animal handling can begin.

Animal User Training:

All personnel working with vertebrates or cephalopods must have completed the required animal user training (part 1 and 2) from their home institution that complies with or exceeds the CCAC approved Animal User Training and submit it with their AUP. To access your home institution’s animal user training:

If you are not affiliated with one of these home institutions, you can still access animal user training through: The Experimental Fish – Canadian Aquaculture Institution.

Animal Collection Reporting:

BMSC is required by the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to submit reports of all animals used and collected in research and teaching. All researchers, students and other animal users must report their collections to BMSC.

Report Your Animal Collections Here:

Please download the blank excel template below, fill it in and email it to The Animal Care Coordinator

Caring For Your Animals:

For guidelines on species-specific methods of care, refer to:

Find The Distribution of Animals and More!

Check out these other biodiversity initiatives to find the distribution of animals in Barkley Sound (and beyond!)