What are sea lice, and can they be spread by salmon farms?
Sea lice are small parasites that attach themselves to the outside of marine fish, and survive by consuming small amounts of slime or skin. They are very common on several species of wild fish in the BC waters, and most wild salmon are host to small numbers of sea lice. Salmon farmers use management techniques that help minimize the presence of sea lice within their stocks. This includes fallowing (leaving a farm site to sit empty for a period of time), combined with the practice of growing only one age class on a farm. This ensures sea lice are not spread from older fish to younger fish, which effectively breaks their host/parasite cycle. If sea lice do show up on a farm in significant numbers, veterinarians can treat the fish to remove the lice. For additional information on sea lice and salmon please click here or refer to our handout.
