Study: Sea lice from farms infect wild salmon

A study published this week in the journal Public Library of Science ONE claims that there’s a link between salmon farms and elevated levels of sea lice on juvenile Fraser River sockeye salmon.

The article, “Sea Louse Infection Sockeye salmon in Relation to Marine Salmon Farms on Canada’s West Coast,” written by researchers from Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Watershed Watch Salmon Society and Victoria and Simon Fraser universities, genetically identified 30 distinct stocks of infected Fraser sockeye that pass by net-pen salmon farms in British Columbia’s Strait of Georgia.

The study found that parasitism of Fraser sockeye increased significantly after the juvenile fish passed by fish farms and the same species of lice were found in substantial numbers on the salmon farms.

In addition, the juvenile salmon that passed by the salmon farms host a higher level of lice than sockeye that migrated along the north coast where there are no farms, according to researchers. The study recorded the highest levels of lice on juvenile sockeye near a farmed salmon processing plant in the Georgia Strait, they claimed.

“The implications of these infections are not fully clear. But in addition to any direct physical and behavioral impacts on juvenile sockeye, sea lice may also serve as vectors of disease or indications of other farm-origin pathogens,” said Michael Price, the study’s lead author.

Subscribe

Want seafood news sent to your inbox?

You may unsubscribe from our mailing list at any time. Diversified Communications | 121 Free Street, Portland, ME 04101 | +1 207-842-5500
None