Refinement of the principles of larval sea lice capture using a combination of biological filters and physical light traps in a commercial setting

Description

Sea lice, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, is an endemic ectoparasite that can cause direct physical damage to fish and incur huge treatment costs for the aquaculture industry. Chemo-therapeutants and animal husbandry practices have traditionally been used to keep the parasites under control. However, the control of sea lice infestations among populations of farmed salmon in Atlantic Canada has become increasingly difficult over the past two years with the summer of 2010 being the worst on record in certain areas of New Brunswick. The industry has an immediate need for an integrated pest control / management strategy that relies on multiple approaches for sea lice control. This project will expand on previous ACRDP research on the ability of mussels to act as a bio-filter to remove sea lice from an environment, and will assess the ability of various types of sea lice traps to collect sea lice for removal from a cage culture environment. Previous lab findings will be tested in field situations prior to advancing to the commercialization stage.

Program Name

Aquaculture Collaborative Research and Development Program (ACRDP)

Year(s)

2011 - 2012

Ecoregion(s)

Atlantic: Gulf of St. Lawrence, St. Lawrence Estuary

Principal Investigator(s)

Shawn Robinson
Email: Shawn.Robinson@dfo-mpo.gc.ca