Early-stage sea lice recruits on Atlantic salmon are freshwater sensitive.

Abstract

Sea lice are significant parasites of marine and brackish farmed fishes. Freshwater bathing is a potential control option against numerous sea lice species, although has been viewed as futile against those that are capable of tolerating freshwater for extended periods. By comparing freshwater survival times across host-attached stages of Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Krøyer), a key parasite in Atlantic salmon farming, we show the first attached (copepodid) stage undergoes 96-100% mortality after 1 h in freshwater, whereas later attached stages can tolerate up to 8 days. Thus, regular freshwater bathing methods targeting the more susceptible attached copepodid stage may successfully treat against L. salmonis and potentially other sea lice on fish cultured in marine and brackish waters.