National Survey of Sea Lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis Krøyer and Caligus elongatus Nordmann) on Fish Farms in Ireland – 2020

Farmed stocks of Atlantic salmon in Ireland are inspected on 14 occasions throughout the year to monitor sea lice levels as part of a national programme. Sea lice are a naturally occurring parasite found on marine fish, including salmonids. They are small ecto-parasitic copepod crustaceans and there are approximately 559 species. The objectives of the National Sea Lice Monitoring Programme are: *To provide an objective measurement of infestation levels on farms. * To investigate the nature of infestations. * To provide management information to drive the implementation of control and management strategies. * To facilitate further development and refinement of this strategy. The sea lice control and management strategy has five principal components: * Separation of generations. * Annual fallowing of sites. * Early harvest of two-sea-winter fish. * Targeted treatment regimes, including synchronous treatments. * Agreed husbandry practices.

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10793/1702

Citation

O’Donohoe, P., Kane, F., Kelly, S., McDermott, T., D'Arcy, J., Casserly, J., Downes, J., Thomas, K., McLoughlin, S., and Ruane, N. (2021). National Survey of Sea Lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis Krøyer and Caligus elongatus Nordmann) on Fish Farms in Ireland – 2020. Irish Fisheries Bulletin No. 52. Marine Institute.