The latest weapon against sea lice
SHETLAND’s aquaculture industry has been given £300,000 of European funding to explore how lumpsucker fish can help rid farmed salmon of sea lice.
The small fish, imported from Norway, are to be released into cages moored in St Magnus Bay, in February next year after three months in quarantine at the NAFC Marine Centre’s hatchery.
Norwegian salmon farmers have been carrying out small scale trials using the fish, but the Shetland pilot project is a first in the UK.
Island fish farmers have already experimented with wrasse feeding on sea lice in salmon at various sites throughout the islands.
General manager of trades body Shetland Aquaculture, David Sandison, said the industry hoped the lumpsuckers would graze on the sea lice and reduce the need to treat fish with chemicals.
Sea lice infestation is a serious problem for the fish farming industry as it undermines the general health of the fish.
The industry also faces allegations that sea lice flourishing on farmed fish can spread to wild fish with devastating consequences.
“This is a field trial. The idea is to keep the lumpsuckers in the cages for a whole salmon growing cycle and to record how they perform,” Sandison said.
He said lumpsuckers were unlikely to be a “magic bullet”, but could be another tool to manage sea lice.
“Even though we keep wrasse and lumpsuckers in cages doesn’t mean we don’t need to use chemical treatment from time to time when sea lice simply are not kept at a low enough level.
“The project is an acknowledgement that the sea lice problem will always be a challenge; we always have to find new solutions. This is another way of trying to address that particular challenge.” He said.
The project is being developed in conjunction with Shetland’s largest salmon business, Hjaltland Seafarms, and is worth a total £382,848.
Described as a “common interest project” the results will be made available to the whole industry.
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