Fisheries and Oceans Canada
www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
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Sea Lice
What are sea lice?
Sea lice are naturally occuring, minute parasites that attach themselves to the skin, fins and gills of wild and farmed fish. Sea lice feed on the skin of their hosts.
Sea lice have existed on wild salmon for thousands of years -- before the first salmon farm was established in Canada. Sea lice are transferred to farmed salmon from the marine environment and, if left untreated, there is potential for farmed salmon to transfer the lice back to the marine environment.
Ensuring a sustainable industry requires an ongoing commitment to scientific research
Fisheries and Oceans Canada takes sea-lice management issues very seriously and works closely with the Provinces and industry to seek solutions. Fisheries and Oceans Canada researchers work diligently to develop knowledge required to provide sound science advice on sea-lice dymanics, transmission routes between wild and farmed fish, impacts, monitoring programs and action thresholds, and other related management measures. Fisheries and Oceans Science supports increased understanding of potential impacts of sea-lice control methods on ecosystems and ways to reduce those impacts through judicious use of approved pesticides, as well as investigation of non-chemical sea-lice control methods.
Strong regulatory measures are set by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in British Columbia, and provinces elsewhere, aimed at reducing sea-lice levels on farms. In British Columbia, Fisheries and Oceans is continuing the sea-lice management strategy initiated by BC through conditions of licence on its salmon aquaculture licences.
Recent Research:
Learn more about sea lice:
Fact Sheets:
- Information on Sea Lice
- Health Canada: Fact Sheet: Integrated Pest Management of Sea Lice in Salmon Aquaculture
Reports:
