UNE professor suspended for violating live animal research protocols
Jun. 12—A shark and fish researcher at the University of New England has been suspended from research and teaching for "serious and continuous non-compliance" with protocols related to the study of live vertebrate animals.
A university spokesperson declined to name the researcher, citing a personnel issue, but said they are no longer employed at UNE.
The violations are outlined in a report authored by Karen L. Houseknecht, the university's vice president for research, which followed an investigation by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, the group charged with reviewing all activities involved vertebrate animals at the university, and an attending veterinarian.
According to the report, the college's research compliance office received complaints in September and October of last year about research projects conducted by this professor. One involved tracking seasonal movements for two fishes in the Saco River system, and another that involved tagging sharks to monitor movement in the Gulf of Maine. According to the report, the animals impacted by those projects include eight to 10 pollack, seven Atlantic sturgeon and seven white sharks, all of which were captured and released.
Through its investigation, the committee said it found "serious and continuous non-compliance" with protocols for these projects, including research on vertebrate animals without approval, failure to adhere to school protocols, activity beyond the approved end-date of the project and participation by people that were not appropriately qualified or trained.
As a result, the committee voted to stop all research involving that professor, and suspend them from all research and teaching activities related to live vertebrates for a year, which began in December 2024. The students in the lab were to be assigned to new faculty advisors and given additional live animal training, including through a meeting with the veterinarian, according to the report.
The investigation also concluded a need for institutional changes around research at UNE, including adding gatekeeping mechanisms like documentation for boat trips and teaching activities that involve live vertebrates, not allowing students to serve as the primary investigator on research projects and requiring new training for everyone in the department.
"Considering the scope of the events outlined in this report and the potential repercussions of noncompliance, all faculty and professional staff in the School of Marine and Environmental Sciences and the (Marine Science Center), regardless of role with respect to vertebrate animals, will be required to take basic training in the care and use of live vertebrate animals and the role of the (committee) in order to improve the knowledge base and compliance culture in the (Marine Science Center) and associated programs," it reads.
The report said a policy will be developed that outlines the appropriate use of UNE boats for "research/teaching activities vs. use for recreational fishing."
Sarah Delage, associate vice president of communications at UNE, said the university took quick action in response to the investigation's findings.
"Like any highly regulated industry, there are strict protocols in place around research," she wrote in an email. "As the report states, the university discovered a failure to follow established protocols. The university takes research integrity very seriously and took immediate and decisive action in compliance with all regulations."
Delage said all involved students have "received full support from UNE to complete their work and are on track for on-time graduation" and said comprehensive training in research protocols has been delivered to everyone in the university's marine research community.
The animal rights watchdog group Stop Animal Exploitation NOW! has been calling on UNE to fire the "rogue" researcher and anyone else connected to the violations, arguing "no respectable institution of higher learning should have faculty who seriously violate federal regulations on staff."
The group filed an administrative complaint with the school and in it suggested any data generated by the research would be unpublishable because of the compliance violations. The university declined to answer specific questions about how the research will be affected or how common research integrity investigations are.
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