Aquatic Animals

Salmon Lice Management and Welfare

Sea lice are parasitic crustaceans that attach to farmed salmon, causing skin damage and representing one of the most significant welfare challenges in salmon aquaculture.

Key Facts

A single female sea louse can produce thousands of eggs
Heavy infestations cause open wounds and expose underlying tissue
Treatments include chemical, mechanical, and biological methods
Cleaner fish including wrasse and lumpfish are used to eat lice
Wild salmon passing near farms can be infested from farmed fish

Welfare Considerations

Sea lice cause progressive tissue damage, pain, and physiological stress in infested fish. Treatments themselves carry welfare costs including handling stress, thermal shock treatments, and chemical exposure. Integrated lice management combining preventive site selection, biological controls, and targeted treatment when needed minimises both lice burden and treatment stress.

What You Can Do

Choose ASC-certified salmon with documented lice management standards
Support research into non-chemical lice control methods
Advocate for farm siting regulations protecting wild salmon migration routes
Ask supermarkets about their salmon supplier lice management policies
Support monitoring of sea lice levels in aquaculture regions